SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

• Personal (or private) communications: Use both the initial(s) and the last name; also provide the full date. 
• Public communications: Use the standard formats for quotations, paraphrase, and summary.

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There are two common types of social media communications: personal (posted for friends/followers/members only) and public.  Both types require in-text citations, but only public communications require reference entries. Here are examples in the signal format and the parenthetical format for both types.

Signal format - personal

C.J. Caldwell (personal communication, May 15, 2015) posted on Facebook that his kids are better off on a vegan diet.

Parenthetical format - personal

One parent tweeted that his kids are better off on a vegan diet (C.J. Caldwell, personal communication, May 15, 2015).

Signal format - public

Austin (2015) posted on Facebook that his students prefer campus classes over online classes. 

Parenthetical format - public 

One teacher tweeted that his students prefer campus classes over online classes (Austin, 2015).

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