Chicago Citation Guide (18th Edition): Social Media

Author

If the real name of the author is unknown, use the screen name in place of the real name. If both screen name and real name are provided, put the real name first with the screen name following in parentheses.

E.g. Billy-Ray Belcourt (@nakinisowin)

Creator information may often be found under a section called "About" for some types of social media, however this is not always standard.

Date

Dates should be written out in full. Example: September 5, 2022.

If no date is given, leave that information out of the citation. 

Errors in Spelling or Grammar in Tweets

In the citation, write out the actual Tweet and keep spelling and grammar the same as in the original, even if there are errors. However, when quoting the Tweet in your assignment, write [sic] in square brackets next to the errors to indicate the errors are not your own.

For example, if the Tweet was written "It isn't you're fault the media is violent", in your assignment, you will write: "It isn't you're [sic] fault the media is violent."

Time Stamps in Audio and Video Recordings

If you are referring to a particular section of an audio or video recording, include a time stamp in your citation. This is similar to giving a page number in a print source. Time stamps are given in the following format: hh:mm.

Bibliography Entry:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Blog Post." Title of Blog (blog). Name of Publication [if blog is part of a larger publication], Date of Post. URL. 

Footnote:

Footnote Number. Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Blog Post," Title of Blog (blog), Name of Publication [if blog is part of a larger publication], Date of Post, URL.

 Note: Chicago 18th does not require a bibliography entry for blog posts; only a footnote is required. However, if you are required to include a bibliography entry in your assignment for a blog post that you are citing, use the formatting outlined above.

 Note: Add (blog) after the title of the blog unless the word "blog" is already included in the title.

Bibliography Entry:

Host's Last Name, First Name, host. "Title of Podcast Episode." Produced by Producer Name. Name of Podcast. Date of Episode. Podcast, File Format [if downloaded and not played in a web browser], Running Time. Time Stamp [if referencing a specific section of the episode]. URL.

Footnote:

Footnote Number. Host's First Name Last Name, host, "Title of Podcast Episode," Date of Episode, in Name of Podcast, produced by Producer Name, podcast, File Format [if downloaded and not played in a web browser], Running Time, Time Stamp [if referencing a specific section of the episode], URL.

Bibliography Entry:

Main Contributor's Last Name, First Name, role. "Title of Video." Genre of Video. Additional Contributor(s) [if relevant]. Produced by Name of Producer. Recorded Month Day, Year. Posted Month Day, Year, by Username [if different from Name of Video Creator]. Name of Website. Running Time, URL.

Footnote:

Footnote Number. Main Contributor's First Name Last Name, role, "Title of Video," genre of video, Additional Contributor(s) [if relevant], produced by Name of Producer, recorded Month Day, Year, posted Month Day, Year, by Username [if different from Name of Video Creator], Name of Website, Running Time, URL.

 Note: Omit any citation elements that you do not know.

 Note: If the video has only one major creator or contributor, begin your citation with their name and role, and skip the Additional Creators element. If there are multiple contributors, skip the Main Contributor element, and begin your citation with the title instead. This applies to the bibliography entry and the footnote.

 Note: For the Genre of Video part of your citation, give a one- to two-word description of the type of video you are citing. Examples include (but are not limited to): "Advertisement," "Interview," or "TED Talk."

 Note: The names of Additional Contributors, and the Producer's name, can often be found in the video and video description. If you are unable to find these details, simply leave them out of the citation. Do not make something up.

 Note: If you do not have a date for when the video was posted or modified, include the date of access instead.

Example from Khan Academy

Bibliography Entry:

Author's Last Name, First Name (screen name). "Text of the tweet up to 280 characters, including spaces and emojis." X, Date of Post. URL. 

Footnote:

Footnote Number. Author's First Name Last Name (screen name), "Text of the tweet up to 280 characters, including spaces and emojis," X, Date of Post, URL. 

 Note: Chicago 18th does not require a bibliography entry for cited social media posts. If you are required to include one for social media posts in your assignment, however, use the formatting above.

 Note: If the real name of the author is unknown, use the screen name in place of the real name.

 Note: If the post is from before July 2023, format the name of this social media platform as: Twitter (now X)

 Note: Private content, including direct messages (DMs) and posts on private accounts, should be cited using the formatting for Personal Communications (Interviews, Emails).

Bibliography Entry:

Wikipedia, "Title of Entry." Last modified Month Day, Year. Time stamp (Abbreviated Time Zone). URL.

Footnote:

Footnote Number. Wikipedia, "Title of Entry," last modified Month Day, Year, Time stamp (Abbreviated Time Zone), URL.

 Note: Time stamp refers to the time the article was last modified. The date and time the article was last modified appear at the bottom of each Wikipedia article.

 Note: Keep in mind that Wikipedia may not be considered an acceptable source for a college or university assignment. Be sure to evaluate the content carefully and check with your instructor to find out if you can use it as a source in your assignment.

Bibliography Entry:

Author's Last Name, First Name [or Account Name]. "Text of the post up to 280 characters, including spaces and emojis." Facebook, Date of Post. URL. 

Footnote:

Footnote Number. Author's First Name Last Name [or Account Name], "Text of the post up to 280 characters, including spaces and emojis," Facebook, Date of Post, URL. 

 Note: Chicago 18th does not require a bibliography entry for cited social media posts; only a footnote is required. If you are required to include a bibliography entry for social media posts in your assignment, however, use the formatting above.

 Note: If the Facebook account is for a group or organization, use the account name in place of an author name. E.g. The New York Times. 

 Note: Private content, including direct messages (DMs) and posts on private accounts, should be cited using the formatting for Personal Communications (Interviews, Emails).