How do I reference social media… in the NLM style?
04/12/2025
Although it’s not considered to be scholarly material, you may find information on social media useful for a piece of academic work. It may be that a particular post on X or Facebook illustrates or contextualises your argument. This blog post will show you how to reference an example of each in the NLM (numbered) style.
X
For individual X posts create a reference for the whole X profile and provide the post details after the date.
What you need to include:
- Author/Group author @username
- Title of X Profile followed by [Internet]
- Place of publication or Author’s City: Publisher Name.
- Date of publication of first post.
- Content of the post up to the first 20 words.
- Date posted and [date cited].
- Available from: URL.
A reference for an X post
Marketing Week @MarketingWeekEd. X posts [Internet]. San Francisco: X. 2011 Feb – . Boots CMO Pete Markey appointed ISBA president. Marketing Week’s 2023 Marketer of the Year takes over the role from Natwest; 2024 Jul 10 [cited 2024 Jul 11]. Available from: https://x.com/MarketingWeekEd/status/1811057220294955101
For individual posts or updates you will need to create a reference for the whole profile and provide the post details after the date.
What you need to include:
- Author/Group Author/Username
- Title of Facebook page followed by [Internet]
- Place of publication or Author’s City: Publisher Name.
- Date of publication of first post.
- Content of the post up to the first 20 words.
- Date posted and [date cited].
- Available from: URL.
A reference for a Facebook post
BAE Systems. Facebook posts [Internet]. San Francisco: Facebook. 2009 May 5 – . The rapid evolution of uncrewed aerial vehicles, otherwise known as drones is changing the way that we do things; 2024 Jun 20 [cited 2024 Jul 11]. Available from: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=772903175029765&set=a.564421215877963&locale=en_GB
For all your referencing questions – please contact Cranfield Libraries.
Please note: Cranfield supports two different referencing styles – APA7 (Author-date) and Numbered (NLM). Please make sure you use the style preferred by your supervisor or lecturer.
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