Facebook References

This page contains reference examples for Facebook, including the following:

1. Facebook post
2. Facebook page

Cite a temporary post (e.g., Facebook Story) or a livestream (e.g., Facebook Live) that is not archived by its hosting platform and cannot be retrieved by any other means (i.e., recorded and made available online via another hosting site) as a personal communication.

• Use the name associated with the account as the name in the reference.
• Provide the specific date of the post.
• Provide the first 20 words of the post as the title. Count a URL or other link, a hashtag, or an emoji as one word each, and include them in the reference if they fall within the first 20 words. Do not italicize emojis.
• If a post includes images, videos, thumbnail links to outside sources, or content from another post (such as when sharing a link), indicate that in square brackets.
• Describe the post type (e.g., “[Status update],” “[Video]”) in square brackets after any description of attached content.
• Credit Facebook as the site name in the source element and then provide the URL of the post.

• Use the page title in the reference (e.g., “Home,” “About,” “Reviews”). Italicize the page title.
• Include the notation “[Facebook page]” in square brackets.
• Provide a retrieval date because the content is designed to change over time and is not archived.
• Provide the URL of the page.