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General Business 360 Research Guide

Social Media Posts

Includes Facebook, Threads, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Tiktok, X [Twitter], etc. See below for Youtube, which is slightly different in APA.

 

General Rules: Citing Social Media Posts & Videos

In-text Citation: Information to Include

In-text citations and signal phrases can be woven into sentences and paragraphs in multiple ways, and what you emphasize depends on what information will be most relevant and/or persuasive to your reader. However, the following information should always be included:

  • Attributive tag or signal phrase that introduces your source
  • Page owner or author (can be an individual, a company, or an organization)
  • Date, if available; otherwise use n.d., the notation for "no date"

 

Reference Citation: Information to Include

Name of Page Owner. [@usenameorhandle]. (Year, Month Day). Title, text, or caption of post in sentence case and italics. [List type of post]. Platform. URL_but_not_active_hyperlink 

 

Specific Example: Company/Organization Post from Instagram

In-text Citation

In a recent Instagram post, Deloitte (2023) publicized their efforts to promote sustainability and equity.

In a recent Instagram post, the accounting firm publicized their efforts to promote sustainability and equity (Deloitte, 2023).

 

References Page Entry

Include content of the post up to the first 20 words for the post “title” if the post isn't titled.

Deloitte. [@deloitte] (2023, September 12). Deloitte is committed to changing the world. [Instagram post]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/deloitte/

 

Specific Example: Company/Organization Post from LinkedIn

In-text Citation

Chipotle (2023) uses LinkedIn to counter negative press. For example, one recent post celebrated their "Food Safety team" for winning an award for "Excellence in Food Safety."

 

The fast casual chain uses LinkedIn to counter negative press. For example, one recent post celebrated their "Food Safety team" for winning an award for "Excellence in Food Safety" (Chipotle, 2023).

 

References Page Entry

Chipotle Mexican Grill. [@chipotle]. (2023). Congratulations to our Food Safety team for winning Fast Casual's Excellence in Food Safety Award! [LinkedIn post].  LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chipotle-mexican-grill_fastcasual-excellenceinfoodsafety-activity-7066444846810480640-PWR3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

 

Specific Example: Individual Account Post from LinkedIn

In-text Citation

Adam Grant (2023), a professor at the Wharton School of Business and an author and consultant, pushed back against requiring employees to work in person, noting that "Showing up is not a sign of commitment or contribution. It's an act of compliance."

A recent LinkedIn post pushed back against requiring employees to work in person, noting that "Showing up is not a sign of commitment or contribution. It's an act of compliance" (Grant, 2023).

 

References Page Entry

Grant, A. [@AdamMGrant].  (2023).  To all the companies calling people back to the office full-time: Don't mistake presence for performance. [LinkedIn post]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adammgrant_activity-7077645621804818432-_zJ7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

General Rules: Citing YouTube Videos

In-text Citation: Information to Include

See In-text Citation: Principles and Formatting for additional information

  • Attributive tag or signal phrase that introduces your source
  • Channel owner name (can be an individual, a company, or an organization)
  • Date posted

 

Reference Citation: Information to Include

Name of Channel Owner. (Year, Month Day). Title, text, or caption of post in sentence case and italics. [Video]. YouTube. URL_but_not_active_hyperlink 

 

Specific Example: YouTube Video Posted by a Company or Organization

In-text Citation

The Wall Street Journal's YouTube Channel (2023), reporting on research from Goldman Sachs, stated that AI could perform "25% of work tasks" done by "white collar workers."

AI has the potential to perform "25% of work tasks" done by "white collar workers" (Wall Street Journal, 2023).

 

References Page Entry

Wall Street Journal. (2023, July 3). How AI is already reshaping white-collar work. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVpTpx9Avf0

 

Note that the Wall Street Journal, in this instance, is the entity that owns the channel, and so is not italicized as the name of a publication.

 

Specific Example: YouTube Video Posted by an Individual

In-text Citation

Chester Tugwell's (2022) video shows three methods for adding hanging indents to a Microsoft Word document.

 

The video provides three methods for adding hanging indents to a Microsoft Word document (Tugwell, 2022).

 

References Page Entry

Tugwell, C. (2022, April 22). Hanging indents in Microsoft Word for APA style referencing & citations: Three quick methods. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEzOWKtz7Jk

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