Chicago · 17th Edition
How to Cite a Tweet or X Post in Chicago Style
Learn how to cite tweets and X (formerly Twitter) posts in Chicago 17th edition. Includes footnote and bibliography format with real examples.
Quick Answer
To cite a tweet or X post in Chicago style (17th edition), use: Author Name (@handle). "Tweet text." X (formerly Twitter), Month Day, Year. URL. Place the author's real name first, followed by the handle in parentheses (not square brackets — that is APA's convention). Put the tweet text in quotation marks. Use full month names; Chicago never abbreviates months. For the notes-bibliography system, the footnote format reverses commas for periods: Author Name (@handle), "Tweet text," X (formerly Twitter), Month Day, Year, URL. The bibliography entry uses periods between elements. For author-date: (NASA 2024) in-text. Example: NASA (@NASA). "Today marks 25 years since the launch of the first International Space Station module, Zarya." X (formerly Twitter), November 15, 2024. https://x.com/NASA/status/1857344100000000000. Always include the permalink URL so readers can verify the source. CiteMe formats tweets correctly in Chicago, APA, MLA, and Harvard with a single search.
Quick answer: To cite a tweet / x post in Chicago (17th Edition), use this template: Author Name (@handle). "Tweet text." X (formerly Twitter), Month Day, Year. URL.
Citation template
Full example
Reference / Bibliography
NASA (@NASA). "Today marks 25 years since the launch of the first International Space Station module, Zarya." X (formerly Twitter), November 15, 2024. https://x.com/NASA/status/1857344100000000000.
In-text citation
(NASA 2024)
Source breakdown
- author
- NASA (@NASA)
- title
- Today marks 25 years since the launch of the first International Space Station module, Zarya
- site
- X (formerly Twitter)
- year
- November 15, 2024
- url
- https://x.com/NASA/status/1857344100000000000
Tips
- ✓Put the tweet text in quotation marks.
- ✓Use the handle in parentheses after the real name: NASA (@NASA).
- ✓Chicago uses full month names — no abbreviations.
- ✓For the notes-bibliography system, use a footnote for the first citation.
Common mistakes
- ⚠Using the handle alone without the real or display name.
- ⚠Abbreviating months (Chicago uses full month names).
- ⚠Putting the handle in square brackets instead of parentheses.
- ⚠Omitting the URL permalink.
Frequently asked questions
Does Chicago use footnotes or parenthetical citations for tweets?
Chicago Notes-Bibliography uses a footnote for the first citation and a shortened form for subsequent ones. Chicago Author-Date uses a parenthetical in-text citation and a reference list entry.
How do I format the footnote for a tweet?
Footnote: Author Name (@handle), "Tweet text," X (formerly Twitter), Month Day, Year, URL.
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