Cómo citar publicaciones de redes sociales en MLA 9

Obras citadas, nombre más un identificador distinto:

Last Name, First Name [@handle]. “Text of the post.” X, Day Mon. Year, permalink.

Obras citadas, identificador similar y URL:

Last Name, First Name. “Text of the post.” Instagram, Day Mon. Year, permalink.

Obras citadas, solo una imagen o un video:

Author. Title of the image or video. TikTok, Day Mon. Year, permalink.

Obras citadas, perfil cambiante:

Last Name, First Name. “Posts.” Instagram, Year, profile URL.

Obras citadas, leyenda editable y fecha de acceso:

Author. “Text of the post.” Instagram, Day Mon. Year, permalink. Accessed Day Mon. Year.

Obras citadas, publicación móvil sin URL:

Last Name, First Name [@handle]. “Text of the post.” X, Day Mon. Year.

En el texto, entre paréntesis:

(Last Name) or (Account Name) — match the first element

En el texto, en prosa:

Last Name writes that . . .

To use the template, record the publication information given by the version of the work you consult by first evaluating the work you are citing to see which elements apply to the source. Then, list each element relevant to your source in the order given on the template. Omit any element that does not apply except Title of Source. If no title is given, use your own description of the work as the title. Conclude each element with the punctuation mark shown in the template—but always end your entry with a period.

To cite material posted on a social media platform, follow the MLA format template. List the author of the post, usually the account name, followed by the title of the material or a description in place of a title in the Title of Source element. Then list the title of the social media site in the Title of Container element. Next list the publisher, unless the name of the site’s publisher is essentially the same as the website title. Then provide the date of publication of the post—if given—or the copyright date of the page. Finally, list the URL in the Location element. As always, key your in-text reference to the first element of the entry. The in-text reference may appear in prose or parentheses.

Because posts published formerly on Twitter now exist on X, we recommend using X as the title of container for any posts published on the platform, past and present.

With the name change came other changes as well: what used to be called tweets are now called posts. To be up-to-date, avoid referring to “tweets” and the corresponding verb form (“so-and-so tweeted”) in your prose.

Obras citadas, publicación posterior al cambio de nombre:

O’Connor, Kim. “Kelly Link on ‘nighttime logic.’” X, 13 Feb. 2024, twitter.com/shallowbrigade/status/1757476492647219227.

Obras citadas, publicación de 2022 alojada ahora en X:

Klein, Ezra. “My phone keeps autocorrecting ‘I’ to ‘AI’ which is a little on-the-nose.” X, 22 Apr. 2022, twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1517591690101489665.

Cita en el texto oficial del Style Center para la línea de Klein:

In a wry post, Ezra Klein wrote that his phone was “autocorrecting ‘I’ to ‘AI’ which is a little on-the-nose” (Klein).

Fogarty, Mignon [@GrammarGirl]. “Every once in a while, that Gmail notice asking if you meant to reply to a 5-day-old message is quite helpful.” Twitter, 13 Feb. 2019, twitter.com/GrammarGirl/status/ 1095734401550303232.

Ng, Celeste [@pronounced_ing]. Photo of letter from Shirley Jackson. Twitter, 22 Jan. 2018, twitter.com/pronounced_ing/status/ 955528799357231104.

World Wildlife Fund. “Happy Earth Day from all of us at WWF!” Facebook, 22 Apr. 2019, www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/photos/ a.58993914793/10156574728914794.

World Wildlife Fund. “Five Things to Know on Shark Awareness Day.” Facebook, 14 July 2020, www.facebook.com/ worldwildlifefund/videos/745925785979440/.

World Wildlife Fund. “Photos.” Facebook, 2020, www.facebook.com/ worldwildlifefund/photos/.

Varro-reatinus. Comment on U/reggiew07’s review of King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, by Adam Hochschild. Reddit, 31 Oct. 2020, www.reddit.com/r/books/ comments/jlbrs4/king_leopolds_ghost_a_story_of_greed_terror_and/.

The Washington Post. “The Empire State Building Is Lighting the Way.” Snapchat, 30 June 2020, www.snapchat.com/discover/ The_Washington_Post/8241762018.

If an author’s online handle differs from the author’s account name (fig. 5.13), it may be helpful to supply the handle in square brackets after the name.

When the handle and account name are similar (e.g., Angie Thomas, @angiethomas), you can usually omit the handle if you include the URL in your entry.

If you do not include the URL—for instance, if you access the post from a mobile device or you follow the option presented in 5.84 to omit URLs— retain the handle since it is a useful finding aid.

El identificador difiere del nombre de la cuenta (Handbook §5.16 / fig. 5.13):

Fogarty, Mignon [@GrammarGirl]. “Every once in a while, that Gmail notice asking if you meant to reply to a 5-day-old message is quite helpful.” Twitter, 13 Feb. 2019, twitter.com/GrammarGirl/status/1095734401550303232.

Se omite un identificador similar porque aparece la URL (Handbook §5.16, Thomas):

Thomas, Angie. Photo of The Hate U Give cover. Instagram, 4 Dec. 2018, www.instagram.com/p/Bq_PaXKgqPw/.

Se omite un identificador similar porque aparece la URL (perfil de TikTok del Style Center):

Keys, Alicia. “Videos.” TikTok, 2020, www.tiktok.com/@aliciakeys?lang=en.

No hay URL, así que se conserva el identificador (Handbook §5.16):

Nguyen, Viet Thanh [@viet_t_nguyen]. “I could put on my headphones at the Chinese restaurant or I could listen to @barrymanilow sing ‘Mandy.’ I choose Mandy.” Twitter, 19 Feb. 2019.

When a digital message or social media post consists entirely of a photograph or a video, provide a description for a title (see fig. 5.15).

You may also choose to provide a description in place of text from the post itself when your discussion focuses on a nontextual part of the post such as a photograph or a video.

Usa el texto de la publicación (Handbook / Style Center):

Chaucer Doth Tweet [@LeVostreGC]. “A daye wythout anachronism ys lyke Emily Dickinson wythout her lightsaber.” Twitter, 7 Apr. 2018, twitter.com/LeVostreGC/status/982829987286827009.

Acorta una publicación larga con puntos suspensivos:

Smith, Clint. “Today is Frederick Douglass’ 200th birthday . . . .” Twitter, 14 Feb. 2018, twitter.com/ClintSmithIII/status/963810866964639745.

Sin texto: describe la imagen (Handbook, fig. 5.15 / Style Center):

Ng, Celeste [@pronounced_ing]. Photo of letter from Shirley Jackson. Twitter, 22 Jan. 2018, twitter.com/pronounced_ing/status/955528799357231104.

Describe la imagen aunque el pin contenga otro texto (Handbook / Style Center):

MacLeod, Michael. Cover of Space Cat and the Kittens, by Ruthven Todd. Pinterest, 2020, www.pinterest.com/pin/565412928193207246/.

Prosa y, después, la entrada de Fogarty:

As one writer remarked, “Every once in a while, that Gmail notice asking if you meant to reply to a 5-day-old message is quite helpful” (Fogarty).

Fogarty, Mignon [@GrammarGirl]. “Every once in a while, that Gmail notice asking if you meant to reply to a 5-day-old message is quite helpful.” Twitter, 13 Feb. 2019, twitter.com/GrammarGirl/status/1095734401550303232.

Prosa y, después, la entrada de la fotografía de Ng:

Celeste Ng posted a photo of a letter from Shirley Jackson in which Jackson wrote, “If you don’t like my peaches, don’t shake my tree” (Ng).

Ng, Celeste [@pronounced_ing]. Photo of letter from Shirley Jackson. Twitter, 22 Jan. 2018, twitter.com/pronounced_ing/status/955528799357231104.

@colsonwhitehead (Colson Whitehead) et al. “Do I have to google the meaning of ‘neo-liberal,’ like I did ‘Ed Hardy’ and ‘One Direction,’ or can I just wait it out?” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2017, twitter.com/colsonwhitehead/ status/942830808343203840.

Responses to Colson Whitehead’s snark-laden tweet on the term neoliberal were, by turns, funny, informational, dismissive of the term, and insistent on the term’s importance (@colsonwhitehead et al.).

To access the URL of a Facebook post, click the time stamp near the top of the post and then copy the URL of the page.

Cita oficial en el texto y, después, la publicación:

On Facebook the World Wildlife Fund announced the birth of twenty-three endangered glossy black cockatoo chicks.

Publicación:

World Wildlife Fund. “Inspiring conservation news: 23 endangered glossy black cockatoo chicks hatched on Kangaroo Island, an area previously ravaged by Australia’s devastating bushfires.” Facebook, 8 July 2020, www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/posts/10157806449919794.

Cita oficial en el texto para la foto del Día de la Tierra:

The World Wildlife Fund celebrated Earth Day on its Facebook page with a photo of a wolf cub.

Foto:

World Wildlife Fund. “Happy Earth Day from all of us at WWF!” Facebook, 22 Apr. 2019, www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/photos/a.58993914793/10156574728914794.

Video:

World Wildlife Fund. “Five Things to Know on Shark Awareness Day.” Facebook, 14 July 2020, www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/videos/745925785979440/.

Pestaña / página Fotos:

World Wildlife Fund. “Photos.” Facebook, 2020, www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/photos/.

Cita oficial en el texto para la publicación con leyenda:

Michael Chabon paid tribute to Milton Glaser by posting one of the designer’s iconic images on Instagram.

Publicación con leyenda:

Chabon, Michael. “#rip Milton Glaser. I grew up in his work. So hard to pick a favorite, maybe this, which also features one of the many awesome typefaces he designed, Baby Teeth. #mahaliajackson #miltonglaser.” Instagram, 28 June 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CB-E9gngVwo/.

Cita oficial en el texto para la fotografía del libro quemado:

Angie Thomas posted a photo of a burned copy of her book The Hate U Give, the only item to survive a young fan’s house fire.

Fotografía (descripción del Style Center):

Thomas, Angie. Photo of burned copy of The Hate U Give. Instagram, 4 Dec. 2018, www.instagram.com/p/Bq_PaXKgqPw/.

Cita oficial en el texto y, después, el video:

In Hamilton, when the colonists rebel against England, King George expresses his feelings in a humorous solo. “Remember we made an arrangement when you went away. Now you’re making me mad,” he sings (Hamilton Videos).

Hamilton Videos [@hamilton.vods]. Video of King George in Hamilton. Instagram, 5 July 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CCPEUJLDz0l/.

Cita oficial en el texto y, después, el perfil:

You can learn more about the author of Bad Feminist on her Instagram account (Gay).

Gay, Roxane. “Posts.” Instagram, 2020, www.instagram.com/roxanegay74/.

Destacado:

Guggenheim Museum. “People.” Instagram, 2020, www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17850044881917911/.

Historia no guardada:

The Museum of Modern Art. Image of Fernand Léger’s The Three Musicians. Instagram, 14 July 2020, www.instagram.com/stories/themuseumofmodernart/2353246125954046321.

Note that Instagram stories disappear after twenty-four hours unless the creator saves them as a highlight. You can still cite unsaved stories by providing a description of the image or video, the date it was posted, and the URL of the story.

Many social media sites allow users to change the text of captions at any time after they have been posted, without any indication that the text has been changed. For that reason, it’s a good idea to include an access date in any citations of posts in which the text could have changed after being posted. In this kind of citation, you would include both the original publication date given for the post in the Publication Date element and an access date at the end of the entry. The following provides an example:

National Park Service. “Bloom there it is!” Instagram, 28 Mar. 2025, www.instagram.com/p/DHv9ctKuRgq/?igsh=ZHRtMXFvbGlyOXcw. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

Cita oficial en el texto y, después, el video:

An example of the Dark Academic aesthetic can be found on TikTok (Lilly).

Video:

Lilly [@uvisaa]. “[I]f u like dark academia there’s a good chance you’ve seen my tumblr #darkacademia.” TikTok, 2020, www.tiktok.com/@uvisaa/video/6815708894900391173.

Perfil:

Keys, Alicia. “Videos.” TikTok, 2020, www.tiktok.com/@aliciakeys?lang=en.

Note that the Reddit post, which reviews the book King Leopold’s Ghost, provides the book title as the title of the post, so the title of the Reddit post is a description that includes the book title: Review of King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, by Adam Hochschild.

Cita oficial en el texto para la publicación del foro:

A recent review on Reddit notes that Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost “brings heartbreaking humanity to this genocidal tragedy by telling stories of individuals” (U/reggiew07).

Publicación del foro:

U/reggiew07. Review of King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, by Adam Hochschild. Reddit, 31 Oct. 2020, www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/jlbrs4/king_leopolds_ghost_a_story_of_greed_terror_and/.

Cita oficial en el texto para el comentario:

After seeing a review on Reddit of Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost, a commenter recommended King Leopold’s Soliloquy, by Mark Twain (Varro-reatinus).

Comentario del foro:

Varro-reatinus. Comment on U/reggiew07’s review of King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, by Adam Hochschild. Reddit, 31 Oct. 2020, www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/jlbrs4/king_leopolds_ghost_a_story_of_greed_terror_and/.

Cita oficial en el texto de LinkedIn y, después, la publicación:

A professional association asks on its LinkedIn page, “Does higher education need to shift its focus?” (Modern Language Association).

LinkedIn, solo el año y texto abreviado:

Modern Language Association. “Business leaders say college graduates are not effectively prepared with either soft or technical skills for today’s workforce . . . .” LinkedIn, 2020, www.linkedin.com/posts/modern-language-association_are-colleges-finally-going-to-start-training-activity-6683424396222193664-y29x.

Cita oficial en el texto y, después, el perfil de LinkedIn:

You can learn more about William Jelani Cobb on his LinkedIn page.

Cobb, William Jelani. “William Jelani Cobb, Ph.D.” LinkedIn, 2020, www.linkedin.com/in/jelanicobb/.

Cita oficial en el texto y, después, la colección de Pinterest:

On the Pinterest page of the website The Rockle, you can find quotations from various famous works.

The Rockle. “Quotes: Classic Literature.” Pinterest, 2020, www.pinterest.com/therockle/quotes-classic-literature/.

Imagen de Pinterest:

MacLeod, Michael. Cover of Space Cat and the Kittens, by Ruthven Todd. Pinterest, 2020, www.pinterest.com/pin/565412928193207246/.

Cita oficial en el texto y, después, la foto de Snapchat:

Michelle Obama posed with students at a school in Vietnam in December 2019 (Obama).

Snapchat, URL de la cuenta y fecha de acceso (Style Center):

Obama, Michelle. Photo with students in Vietnam. Snapchat, www.snapchat.com/add/michelleobama. Accessed 14 July 2020.

Snapchat con fecha de calendario (Handbook §5.23):

Wilson, Rebel. Video of tire-flipping exercise. Snapchat, 14 July 2020, www.snapchat.com/add/rebelwilsonsnap.

Cita oficial en el texto y, después, la historia de Snapchat Discover:

According to The Washington Post, the Empire State Building is a model of sustainable architecture (The Washington Post).

The Washington Post. “The Empire State Building Is Lighting the Way.” Snapchat, 30 June 2020, www.snapchat.com/discover/The_Washington_Post/8241762018.

Programa de Snapchat:

Get Creative. Snapchat, www.snapchat.com/discover/Get_Creative/2712021323. Accessed 14 July 2020.

Perfil de Snapchat:

Our Black Voices. Profile. Snapchat, www.snapchat.com/discover/OUR_BLACK_VOICES/9235399158. Accessed 14 July 2020.

Plantilla de Threads:

Last Name, First Name [@handle]. “Text of the post.” Threads, Day Mon. Year, permalink.

Plantilla Bluesky:

Last Name, First Name [@handle]. “Text of the post.” Bluesky, Day Mon. Year, permalink.

When a time is given and helps define and locate the work, include it. Times should be expressed in whatever form you find them in the source: the twelve hour-clock form (2:00 p.m.) or the twenty-four-hour-clock form (14:00). Include time zone information when provided and pertinent.

MLA Handbook, 9th edition, §5.80.

An access date for an online work should generally be provided if the work lacks a publication date or if you suspect that the work has been altered or removed.

MLA Handbook, 9th edition, §5.111.

Perfil móvil sin fecha de copyright (Style Center):

World Wildlife Fund. “Photos.” Facebook, www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/. Accessed 14 July 2020.

Create an in-text citation of a social media post the same way you would create an in-text citation for any other source: provide the shortest piece of information that directs your reader to the relevant entry in the works-cited list.

You would cite an Instagram post the way you would cite any other work—by author and, in this case, by title, since there will be more than one works-cited-list entry under the author’s name.

Nombre del autor (Style Center Fogarty):

(Fogarty)

Autor identificado (prosa de Klein del Style Center):

In a wry post, Ezra Klein wrote that his phone was “autocorrecting ‘I’ to ‘AI’ which is a little on-the-nose” (Klein).

Entrada de fotografía (Style Center Ng):

(Ng)

Nombre de usuario de Reddit como primer elemento:

(U/reggiew07)

Dos publicaciones de Instagram de la misma cuenta (añade un título abreviado):

(Gay, “Posts”) and a second Gay line keyed to that post’s title or description

Emojis do not need to be included in the titles of tweets. If the emoji is important to the meaning of the tweet, you should describe the emoji in your prose.

If the tweet’s text is composed solely of the emoji itself, its title in the works-cited list should be a generic description of the emoji (MLA Handbook 28–29).

Yes. Since hashtags are used for a variety of reasons in tweets—to categorize the tweet, to communicate with a group, to convey humor, and so on—hashtags should be included in quotations of tweets. And hashtags can provide important information about tweets, so they should be included in the titles of tweets in entries in the works-cited list.

Ejemplo de emoji con el identificador primero de la octava edición (no copies el orden del autor en MLA 9):

@BTS_twt. Microphone emoji. Twitter, 27 Feb. 2018, twitter.com/BTS_twt/status/968572393718407168.

Ejemplo de etiqueta con el identificador primero de la octava edición (no copies el orden del autor en MLA 9):

@persianwiki. “We have report of large street battles in east & west of Tehran now – #Iranelection.” Twitter, 23 June 2009, twitter.com/persianwiki/status/2298106072.

@NASA. “We’re going back to the Moon with Artemis to prepare for Mars.” X, 12 Aug. 2024, 9:30 a.m., x.com/NASA/status/1234567890123456789.

Harvard Library. “We’re excited to announce that more than 40,000 images from our archives are now available online for free public access.” Facebook, 5 Mar. 2021. www.facebook.com/HarvardLibrary/posts/10159512345678901.

Hamilton Videos [hamilton.vods]. Video of King George in Hamilton. Instagram, 5 July 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CCPEUJLDz0l.

@loudpositivity. “Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” Twitter, 27 May 2019, 12:17 p.m., https://twitter.com/loudpositivity/status/1133029562953142273.