How to Quote a Tweet

To quote a tweet, reproduce the post exactly, keep the spelling, hashtags, and emoji as written, and cite the account. In MLA the full text of the tweet becomes the title in quotation marks; in APA you use the first 20 words as the title and add “[Post].” Both styles put the account handle in square brackets after the author’s real name. Because X changes display names and deletes posts, the citation ties the quote to the account and the exact URL.

Quote a tweet in MLA 9

MLA treats the entire text of the tweet as the source’s title, so it goes in quotation marks in title case is not required, copy the wording as posted. The container is X (formerly Twitter). List the author’s real name inverted, then the handle in brackets.

• Curie, Marie [@mariecurie]. “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” X, 4 July 2023, x.com/mariecurie/status/1234567890.

If you only know the handle, start with it: NASA [@NASA] becomes @NASA. The in-text citation uses whatever begins the entry, so it is (Curie) or (“@NASA”). A tweet has no page number, so nothing follows the name.

In your sentence it reads: Marie Curie wrote that “one never notices what has been done” (Curie). For the underlying rules on citing a source with no page, see MLA quote citation.

Quote a tweet in APA 7

APA uses the author’s real name, an initial, and the handle in brackets, then the full date. The post’s text, up to the first 20 words, becomes the title in italics, followed by “[Post].” Keep the URL to the specific tweet.

• Obama, B. [@BarackObama]. (2022, November 8). Change happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it [Post]. X. https://x.com/BarackObama/status/1234567890

The in-text citation is (Obama, 2022). If you quote fewer than 20 words, use the whole thing as the title. Preserve original spelling, capitalization, hashtags, and emoji exactly. APA does not use a page number here; the parenthetical stops at the year for a whole-post citation.

Which handle format to use

Both styles want the handle in square brackets so the citation survives a display-name change. Rules of thumb:

• Real name known: Fogarty, Mignon [@GrammarGirl] in MLA, Fogarty, M. [@GrammarGirl] in APA.
• Only the handle known: start with the handle, and use it alone as the author.
• Organization account: use the organization name, then the handle, as with NASA [@NASA].

Quoting the text accurately

A tweet is a direct quote, so it goes inside quotation marks in your sentence and must match the original character for character. Do not correct typos silently; if you must flag one, use [sic] after it. If the tweet is long enough to run past four lines, MLA formatting turns it into a block quote, but most tweets are short enough to stay inline. For handling posts and pages that lack page numbers, the same logic covers websites, collected in how to quote a website and in how to cite a quote from a website.

Deleted or edited tweets

Posts disappear. Because of that, note the exact date and, when it matters, archive the tweet with a service that produces a permanent link, then cite that. Do not cite a screenshot as if it were the live post; a screenshot proves nothing about wording once the original is gone. If the account itself is what you are discussing rather than one post, cite the profile instead. APA’s full direct-quote rules, including how to cite short online sources, are in APA quote citation.

FAQ

Do I use the full tweet or just part of it in the citation?

In MLA, use the full text of the tweet as the title. In APA, use up to the first 20 words as the title. In your sentence, you can quote as much or as little of the tweet as you actually need, but the reference entry follows the style’s rule for the title.

How do I quote a tweet now that Twitter is X?

Name the platform X in the citation. MLA and APA both accept “X (formerly Twitter)” so readers recognize the source. The URL will usually be an x.com address, which is fine to cite as shown.

Do tweets get a page number?

No. A tweet has no pages. In MLA the in-text citation is just the author or handle; in APA it is the author and year. If you are quoting a thread and want to point to one post, cite that post’s own URL.

Should I keep hashtags and emoji in the quotation?

Yes. Reproduce the post as written, including hashtags, emoji, and unusual capitalization. Altering a quoted post changes the source, and both styles ask you to preserve the original.