Cite web and social media in MLA

In-text citations

Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ").

Citation format	Example
Paraphrasing	In a recent interview Hunter Page-Lochard claims that he … (Walsh).
Direct quote	“The Aboriginal culture is all about telling a story through art, song and dance, which is how the culture is shared” (Walsh).

Works cited

• Use the name of the person or group who created the post or page as the author. 
• Give the title in double quotation marks (" "). If there is no title, give a short descriptive phrase, and don't use quotation marks.
• Give the name of the website (in italics), the publisher/sponsor of the site, and the year or specific date of the post or page, as displayed on the individual post or page.

Reference format	Example
Template	Author. “Title of Post or Page.” Website Name, date, URL.
Works cited entry	Howard, Cerise. "2012 Fribourg International Film Festival." Australian Film Critics Association. Australian Film Critics Association, 11 Aug. 2012, www.afca.org.au/2012-fribourg-int-ff.html. Walsh, Jemma. “Hunter Page-Lochard Interview.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, 2023, www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/spear-hunter-page-lochard.

In-text citations

When you make a general reference to a website as a whole (i.e., not to a specific document, page or post on the site), give the URL in round brackets after the mention.

Citation format	Example
Paraphrasing	The video-sharing website YouTube (http://www.youtube.com) is …

Works cited

No works cited entry required.

This category covers posts and comments that are recoverable (i.e., open access). Posts that are protected by privacy settings should be treated as personal communications.

In-text citations

Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ") and provide a paragraph number.

Citation format	Example
Paraphrasing	Vahdat states that budgeting for a film requires …
Direct quote	“Forecasting your film’s market value early in the project is absolutely key to managing financial risk—and it’s entirely possible to make educated, data-driven estimates” (Vahdat).

Works cited

• Give the author's real name. Add their screen name (if one is available) in parentheses, or if the real name is unknown, use only the screen name.
• Use the post/comment/tweet as the title (in quotation marks).
• Give the date of the post/comment. The retrieval date is not necessary for items with a specific associated date (e.g. individual tweets, posts, etc.), but is necessary for whole feeds/pages.

Reference format	Example
Template	Author. (screen name). “Title.” Website Name, Day Month Year of post, URL.
Works cited entry	Vahdat, Shaudi Bianca. “How to estimate Your Film’s Market Value Early.” Wrapbook, 12 Sep. 2025, www.wrapbook.com/blog/how-to-estimate-your-films-market-value-early.

This category covers posts and comments that are recoverable (i.e., open access). Posts that are protected by privacy settings should be treated as personal communications.

In-text citations

Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ") and provide the paragraph number.

Citation format	Example
Paraphrasing	Interested speakers are being recruited to be part of … (Melbourne City of Literature).
Direct quote	The International Literary Programmers Roundtable “is open to any UNESCO Creative City professional who works in the literary sector and delivers programs for an audience” (Melbourne City of Literature).

Works cited

• Give the author's real name. Add their screen name (if one is available) in parentheses, or if the real name is unknown, use only the screen name.
• Use the post/comment/tweet as the title (in quotation marks).
• Add the form (e.g., ‘Twitter’, ‘Facebook post’, ‘Photograph’, etc.) after the title in italics. Use ‘Twitter page’ or ‘Facebook page’ if using someone’s entire feed/timeline as a source.
• Give the date of the post/comment. The retrieval date is not necessary for items with a specific associated date (e.g. individual tweets, posts, etc.), but is necessary for whole feeds/pages.

Reference format	Example
Template	Author. (screen name). “Title.” Form, Day Month Year of post, URL.
Works cited entry	Melbourne City of Literature. “Literacy Round Table.” Facebook, 25 Aug. 2025, www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1403237065136598&set=pb.100063509536412.-2207520000.

This category covers posts and comments that are recoverable (i.e., open access). Posts that are protected by privacy settings should be treated as personal communications.

In-text citations

Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ") and provide the paragraph number.

Citation format	Example
Paraphrasing	Richard Osman explains that libraries, in his opinion, provide an incredible service…
Direct quote	"Libraries still provide such an incredible service…" (Osman).

Works cited

• Give the author's real name. Add their screen name (if one is available) in parentheses, or if the real name is unknown, use only the screen name.
• Use the post/comment/tweet as the title (in quotation marks).
• Add the form (e.g., ‘Twitter’, ‘Facebook post’, ‘Photograph’, etc.) after the title in italics. Use ‘Twitter page’ or ‘Facebook page’ if using someone’s entire feed/timeline as a source.
• Give the date of the post/comment. The retrieval date is not necessary for items with a specific associated date (e.g. individual tweets, posts, etc.), but is necessary for whole feeds/pages.

Reference format	Example
Template	Author. (screen name). “Title.” Form. Day Month Year of post, URL.
Works cited entry	cats with jobs [@CatWorkers]. Cat on train station card reader. Twitter, 29 Nov. 2022, https://twitter.com/CatWorkers/status/1597270803670003712. Historic Vids [@historyinmemes]. “1960s children imagine life in the year 2000.” Twitter, 29 Nov.  2022, https://twitter.com/historyinmemes/status/1597330753784008706Osm. Richard (@richardosman). “Libraries still provide such an incredible service. Books for free! #SupportYourLibrary” Twitter, 13 Jan. 2023, twitter.com/richardosman/status/1613523857414971392. Walker‏, Stan [@stanwalker]. "Thank you Rolling Stone for best album nomination #rollingstone #fyp #maori #maoritiktok." TikTok, 25 July 2023, tiktok.com/@stanwalker/video/7259696004960734471.

In-text citations

Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ").

Citation format	Example
Paraphrasing	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.
Direct quote	“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).

Works cited

• Give the author, the title (in italics) and the publication details of the document.
• Give the name of the website where the document was accessed, and the retrieval date if there is no publication date.

Post

Reference format	Example
Template	Author. “All text in post.” Instagram, Day Month Year of post, URL.
Works cited entry	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/.

Video

Reference format	Example
Template	Author [screen name]. Description Title, Instagram, Day Month Year of post, URL.
Works cited entry	Hamilton Videos [@hamilton.vods]. Video of King George in Hamilton. Instagram, 5 July 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CCPEUJLDz0l/.

Photo

Reference format	Example
Template	Author [screen name]. Description Title, Instagram, Day Month Year of post, URL.
Works cited entry	Halvorsen, K [@karl_halvorsen_photography]. Photo of The Magnificent New Zealand Tui. #tui #tuibird #travel. Instagram, 21 Feb. 2019, Instagram.com/p/BuImL4bl0tB/. Thomas, Angie. Photo of burned copy of The Hate U Give. Instagram, 4 Dec. 2018, www.instagram.com/p/Bq_PaXKgqPw/.

This category covers posts and comments that are recoverable (i.e., open access). Posts that are protected by privacy settings should be treated as personal communications.

In-text citations

Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ") and provide the paragraph number.

Citation format	Example
Paraphrasing	Jeane argues that …
Direct quote	"I know I mention digital versus print here often but I can’t help myself, it’s like a mosquito bite I can’t stop scratching." (Jeane par. 1).

Works cited

• Give the author's real name. Add their screen name (if one is available) in parentheses, or if the real name is unknown, use only the screen name.
• Use the post/comment/tweet as the title (in quotation marks).
• Give the date of the post/comment. The retrieval date is not necessary for items with a specific associated date (e.g. individual tweets, posts, etc.), but is necessary for whole feeds/pages.

Reference format	Example
Template	Author. (screen name). “Title.” Form, Day Month Year of post, URL.
Works cited entry	Jeane. Comment on “The Reading Brain: Differences between Digital and Print.” So Many Books, 25 Apr. 2013, somanybooksblog.com/2013/04/25/the-reading-brain-differences-between-digital-and-print/.