How to Cite LinkedIn?

Referencing is one of the things you can do to make your claims or anything you are saying more valid. People use citations a lot in the academic world, and even if you have listened to regular conversations between people, you might hear citations, like when they use a bible verse and tell the exact address.

Guess what; it is even essential to know how to cite LinkedIn! Maybe not as important as in an ISI article, but still important. Since people can accuse you of plagiarism even if you have cited from a social media such as LinkedIn with no referencing back to the author.

To cite LinkedIn, you can include the author's name, the title of the post, the date it was published, and the URL of the post. If it's a company page, you can use the company name instead of the author's name.

Well, maybe that makes no legal issues for you but think of the image! That is somehow your most valuable thing on the internet.

Citation can help you with this plagiarism thing, shows that you have a deep understanding of the title you are talking about, makes your arguments and opinions credible on a specific title, and lets other people identify the source of your claims.

How to cite LinkedIn?

There are two parts that you can use for citation on LinkedIn. You can cite from a post or article or profile.

You can use a LinkedIn member’s name in the citation (if you’re going to cite them). LinkedIn doesn’t tell you when they published a post, but you can calculate the date by the information of how long that post has been published. Use the first twenty words of the post you are citing as the title. If the first 20 words include URL, hashtags, emoji, etc., use them as well.

As the APA style website says: “If a post includes images, videos, thumbnail links to outside sources, or content from another post (such as when sharing a link), indicate that in square brackets after the title.

You can describe the post type in a bracket: [Post] or [Video]. Bring LinkedIn as the site you drove the citation from in the source elements and don’t forget to provide a URL.

APA style has an example for all of these:

1. “American Psychological Association. (2019, December 9). Last month, APA joined more than 40 national and international psychology organizations to explore ways to collaborate and use psychological [Thumbnail with link attached] [Post]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/american-psychological-association_how-psychologists-are-combating-climate-change-activity-6609801161937612800-GvdC”
2. “Goodwin, J. (2019, September). The best part of attending the American Psychological Association’s 2019 Convention in Chicago this year was having the opportunity to [Image attached] [Post]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jongoodwin3_apa2019-activity-6569581103441682432-CN98”
3. “Parenthetical citations: (American Psychological Association, 2019; Goodwin, 2019) Narrative citations: American Psychological Association (2019) and Goodwin (2019)”

As for citing from a profile, it is suggested to use that account’s section titles which you are citing. (e.g., Home, Experiences, Activities, etc.), don’t forget to bring the notion of the LinkedIn page in a bracket, provide a date for the citation since the source might get updated regularly, and provide a URL.

Take a look at the example below:

• Boston Scientific. Home [LinkedIn page]. LinkedIn. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-scientific/
• Parenthetical citation: (Boston Scientific) Narrative citation: Boston Scientific
• Narrative citation: Boston Scientific

As we can see a citation means: “a quotation from or reference to a book, paper, or author, especially in a scholarly work.” and believe me when I say it is so vital to know how to cite LinkedIn, especially when you want to cite from it in your website or anywhere else.

Related Questions & Answers

Linkedin Apa Citation Generator

LinkedIn does not have an official APA citation generator as it is primarily a professional networking platform and not an academic source. When citing LinkedIn in APA format, it is recommended to include the individual’s name, the year of publication or “n.d.” if the date is not available, the title or description of the post, and the URL of the LinkedIn profile or specific post. If you are citing information obtained from a LinkedIn article or blog post, you can treat it as an online article and follow the general guidelines for citing online sources in APA style, including the author’s name, publication date, article title, and URL. It’s important to consult the official APA style guide or your institution’s citation guidelines for specific formatting requirements when citing LinkedIn or any online source in your academic work.

How to Cite Linkedin Article

When citing a LinkedIn article in your work, you can follow general guidelines for citing online articles in APA format. Include the author’s name, the publication date (or “n.d.” if not available), the title of the article in sentence case, the publication name (in this case, “LinkedIn”), and the URL of the article. Here’s an example of how it could be formatted in APA style:

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Article Title. LinkedIn. URL

For example:

Doe, J. (2023, January 15). The Importance of Networking on LinkedIn. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/article/example

Remember to use proper capitalization and punctuation, and ensure that the URL is clickable and leads directly to the article. It’s always a good idea to consult the official APA style guide or your institution’s citation guidelines for specific formatting requirements and any variations that may apply.

FAQ

How do you cite a LinkedIn URL?

To cite a LinkedIn URL in a document or reference list, follow these guidelines:

1. Format: Begin with the author’s name (if available), followed by a period. If there’s no author, start with the title of the LinkedIn profile, followed by a period.
2. LinkedIn Profile Name: If available, include the LinkedIn profile name in italics, followed by a comma.
3. URL: After the profile name, include the full LinkedIn URL in angle brackets (“< >”).
4. Access Date: Add the date you accessed the LinkedIn profile, written as “Accessed” followed by the access date in day-month-year format.

Here’s an example of how to cite a LinkedIn URL:

• With Author:rubyCopy codeSmith, John. "LinkedIn Profile Name." <https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsmith/>. Accessed 15 September 2023.
• Without Author:rubyCopy code"LinkedIn Profile Name." <https://www.linkedin.com/in/profilename/>. Accessed 15 September 2023.

Make sure to replace “LinkedIn Profile Name” with the actual name of the LinkedIn user or profile you are citing and include the specific URL and access date for accuracy.

How do you cite someone on LinkedIn?

Citing someone on LinkedIn in a professional context typically involves mentioning or tagging their LinkedIn profile in your post, comment, or message. Here’s how to do it:

1. Mention in a Post or Comment: When creating a post or commenting on someone else’s post, you can mention someone by typing the “@” symbol followed by their LinkedIn name (the name displayed on their profile). LinkedIn will provide suggestions as you start typing. Select the correct profile from the suggestions, and it will create a clickable link to their profile. For example, if you want to mention John Smith, type “@John Smith” in your post or comment.
2. Tagging in a Message: In LinkedIn messages, you can directly tag someone by typing “@” and their name. Again, LinkedIn will suggest profiles as you type. Select the correct profile to tag them in the message.
3. Using Their LinkedIn URL: You can also cite someone on LinkedIn by including a link to their LinkedIn profile in your content. Simply copy and paste their profile URL into your post, comment, or message. It will automatically be converted into a clickable link to their profile.

Remember to use these methods respectfully and professionally, as LinkedIn is a platform for networking and building professional relationships. Avoid spamming or tagging people unnecessarily.

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