How do I cite an Instagram post in Harvard?

To cite an Instagram post in Harvard (Cite Them Right), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.

What does the in-text citation look like for an Instagram post in Harvard?

In Harvard, the in-text citation for the example above is (University of Reading, 2025)

How to Cite an Instagram Post in Harvard (Cite Them Right)

Learn how to cite Instagram posts, reels, and stories in Harvard format (Cite Them Right). This guide includes the reference list format, in-text citation examples, and key formatting rules.

Harvard Reference List Format

Here is the standard Harvard format for citing an Instagram post in your reference list:

Author (Year) ‘Caption of the post’ [Instagram] Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Harvard Example for an Instagram Post

A complete Harvard reference for an Instagram post, written by hand and checked against the official Harvard guidance for this source:

University of Reading (2025) ‘From digging in search of the past…to shaping the future of space.’ [Instagram] 13 September. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/uniofreading/p/DOgai7NAHql/ (Accessed: 15 September 2025).

Matching in-text citation: (University of Reading, 2025)

Harvard In-Text Citation

Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:

Parenthetical

(University of Reading, 2025)

Narrative

The University of Reading (2025) posted…

Key Harvard Formatting Rules

Use the person or organization that posted as author, with the year of posting in round brackets.
Give the caption, or its opening words, in single quotation marks, followed by [Instagram] and the day and month of posting.
End with Available at: and the post’s URL, then (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Cite Them Right gives no separate Story format; cite a saved highlight as a post, and treat a Story that only you saw as a personal communication.

Step-by-Step Guide

Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your Instagram post.
Format the reference: Arrange the elements following the Harvard (Cite Them Right) template shown above.
Create the in-text citation: Add a parenthetical or narrative citation in your paper where you reference this source.
Add to your reference list: Include the full formatted citation at the end of your paper.
Double-check formatting: Verify italics, punctuation, capitalization, and hanging indents match Harvard requirements.

Evidence and review notes

Worked examples on this page are written by hand from the style's own published guidance and checked against it, because the general CSL styles do not encode this source's rules. Editorial guidance and sources in this section were reviewed on 2026-08-14.

Metadata to collect

account name and @handle
caption text, or a description of the image or video
posting date
type of post (photo, carousel, reel, story or highlight)
post permalink
date you viewed it

Common metadata traps

Stories disappear after 24 hours unless the account saves them as a highlight, so record the date, the story URL and a screenshot the day you see it.
A link copied from the share sheet often carries tracking text such as ?igsh= or ?utm_source=; the permalink is the instagram.com/p/ or /reel/ address.
Citing the account’s profile page when you mean one post sends the reader to a feed that keeps changing.

Editorial sources

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite an Instagram post in Harvard?: To cite an Instagram post in Harvard (Cite Them Right), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.
What is the Harvard format for an Instagram post citation?: The Harvard format for an Instagram post is: Author (Year) ‘Caption of the post’ [Instagram] Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
What does the in-text citation look like for an Instagram post in Harvard?: In Harvard, the in-text citation for the example above is (University of Reading, 2025)