Short-form video has worked its way into academic papers, and the instinct most students have is to cite a TikTok or Instagram Reel the same way they’d cite a YouTube video. The format is similar, but TikToks and Reels are cited as social media posts for video content, which means the caption supplies the title, and the account handle matters in a way it doesn’t for YouTube.

Here’s how to handle both.

The general format

APA 7 cites TikToks and Instagram Reels as social media posts for video content. The format depends on whether the creator’s real name is available.

When the real name is known:

Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of the caption [Video]. TikTok or Instagram. URL

When only the username is known:

@username. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of the caption [Video]. TikTok or Instagram. URL.

A few things to note:

• The caption is italicized – use the first 20 words of the original caption as the title. Preserve the caption’s spelling and capitalization rather than converting it to sentence case. Do not italicize emojis even when they appear within the italicized title.
• Hashtags, URLs, and emojis count toward the 20 words – retain them if they fall within the first 20 words, and count each one as a single word.
• [Video] goes in square brackets after the caption – not italicized.
• The platform name follows – TikTok or Instagram, depending on where the video lives.
• Include the full URL to the specific post.

The author question: Real name, username, or both?

APA 7 says use the name that appears on the account. For TikTok and Instagram, that often means a username or handle rather than a real name. Here’s how to handle each scenario.

Account with a real name and a username

If the account displays both a real name and a handle, list the real name first in inverted order, then the username – with the @ sign – in square brackets:

Meldrum, J. [@sasquatch_science]. (2025, April 3). New footprint cast analysis from the Pacific Northwest – the dermal ridges tell a story #cryptozoology [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@sasquatch_science/video/example

Username only

If no real name is visible on the account, use the username alone in the author position, including the @ sign, without square brackets:

@SquatchWatch. (2024, November 12). Trail cam footage reviewed: what the researchers found might surprise you #Sasquatch #PNW [Video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/example

Organization or institution

When a recognized organization posts under its own name and has an account handle, include both:

Pacific Northwest Cryptid Research Bureau [@pncryptidbureau]. (2025, January 8). Annual field report highlights: 2024 was our most documented year yet [Video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/example

The TikTok caption becomes the title

TikTok videos don’t have a separately displayed title the way YouTube videos do. APA handles this by treating the post’s caption as the title element in the reference. Use the first 20 words of the caption, preserving the original spelling and capitalization.

If the caption contains fewer than 20 words, use all of it. Hashtags, URLs, and emojis count as words and are retained if they fall within the first 20.

Example:

@SquatchWatch. (2024, October 29). This trail cam footage from outside Bluff Creek has us asking serious questions. Nobody has answers yet. #Sasquatch #cryptozoology #PNW [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@squatchwatch/video/example

The caption in the example is exactly 20 words. If the caption continues beyond that point, stop there, and do not include whatever comes next.

Instagram Reels: Same format, same caption rule

Instagram Reels follow the same reference format as TikTok videos. Use the first 20 words of the caption as the italicized title, followed by [Video], Instagram, and the direct URL to the Reel.

The platform descriptor is [Video] for both TikTok and Instagram Reels. Other Instagram post types – photos, carousels – use different descriptors.

In-text citations

In-text citations follow the standard APA format – author and year.

Parenthetical

(@SquatchWatch, 2024)

Narrative

@SquatchWatch (2024) documented a pattern of sightings consistent with previously reported accounts from the same region.

With a timestamp

When directly quoting spoken words or referring to a specific moment in the video, include a timestamp to help readers locate that material.

(@SquatchWatch, 2024, 0:34)

For a general paraphrase of the video, an author-date citation is sufficient.

Common mistakes

• Converting the caption to sentence case – preserve the original spelling and capitalization of the caption. Don’t rewrite to follow APA’s sentence-case rule for conventional titles.
• Omitting hashtags, URLs, or emojis from the first 20 words – these count toward the 20-word limit and should be retained if they fall within it.
• Leaving out the @ sign – include it when the username serves as the author element.
• Using the wrong platform descriptor – Reels are [Video]. Still images and carousels on Instagram use different descriptors.
• Linking to the account instead of the specific post – the URL should point directly to the individual video.
• Omitting the post date – include the year, month, and day the video was posted.

Let PERRLA handle the formatting

TikToks, Instagram Reels, and other social media video sources are supported reference types in PERRLA’s reference engine. Select the appropriate type, fill in the fields, and PERRLA formats the entry correctly.

Try PERRLA free for 7 days – no credit card required.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cite a TikTok in APA 7?

Use the creator’s real name (if available) followed by their username with the @ sign in square brackets, or the username alone without the brackets if no real name is identifiable. Use the first 20 words of the caption as the title in italics, preserving the original spelling and capitalization. Follow with [Video], TikTok, and the direct URL to the post.

How do you cite an Instagram Reel in APA 7?

The format is the same as a TikTok citation. Use the creator’s real name (if available) followed by their username with the @ sign in square brackets, or the username alone without brackets if no real name is identifiable. Use the first 20 words of the caption (preserving original spelling and capitalization) as the title in italics, [Video] as the descriptor, Instagram as the platform, and the direct URL to the Reel.

What do you use as the title of a TikTok in APA?

The caption supplies the title. Use the first 20 words of the caption in italics, preserving the original spelling and capitalization rather than converting it to sentence case. Hashtags, URLs, and emojis count toward the 20-word limit and are retained if they fall within it. If the caption has fewer than 20 words, use all of it.

Is the descriptor [Video] or something else for TikTok and Instagram Reels?

[Video] is the correct descriptor for both TikTok videos and Instagram Reels. Other Instagram post types – photos, carousels – use different descriptors, but video content uses [Video].

How do you handle a TikTok or Reel with no identifiable author?

If the creator’s real name is unknown, but the account has a username, use the username (with the @ sign) as the author without square brackets. If neither an identifiable person or organization nor a usable account name is available, move the title of the post to the author position and follow APA’s rules for sources without an identifiable author.

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