Whoa. The MLA has officially devised a standard format to cite tweets in an academic paper. Sign of the times.
ebooks, Horse. (horse_ebooks). “Leg Butt” 18 Nov 2011, 12:38 PM. Tweet.
MLA has always had a pretty comprehensive list of Possible Source Types and How To Cite Them. This isn’t too far off from anything else; a standard for citing types of internet-based communication is a useful tool.
Academic papers can be written on an insanely wide range of topics. It’s not at all scorn-worthy to imagine that some will incorporate twitter into their source material. The way we spread information evolves constantly, and as it does, standards of citation are created for those potential sources.
octoberspirit 