How to cite an interview (APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard)
Interview citations split in two. A published interview in The Guardian or a podcast archive can be retrieved by your reader. A personal interview you conducted for a project usually cannot. Mixing those two cases is the fastest way to get the reference wrong. First decide whether the interview is published, then decide whether the interviewer or interviewee leads the entry.
When to use this source type
Use this source type for published interviews in newspapers, magazines, websites, podcasts, archives, transcripts, or video pages. You may cite an author interview with Margaret Atwood, an oral-history transcript, a broadcast interview, or a Q&A article. The citation needs enough information for a reader to find the same interview, not just the person being interviewed.
For a personal interview, email exchange, or conversation that only you can access, many styles cite it in text or notes rather than the reference list. APA treats personal interviews as personal communications. MLA allows a personal interview entry. Harvard usually keeps personal communications in text. Always check your department rule if interviews are primary research data.
Quick reference table
The same source facts appear in each style, but they move around. Check the author role, date detail, title formatting, container, locator, and the one style-specific rule before you paste a citation into your reference list.
| Style | Author | Date | Title | Container | URL or locator | Style note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Published interview author is often interviewer or article byline. | Full date for web or newspaper interviews. | Interview article title in sentence case. | Publication or site title as container. | URL for published interview. | Personal interviews are in-text personal communications. |
| MLA 9 | Interviewee can lead for personal interviews. | Date as day abbreviated month year. | Interview title in quotation marks if published. | Container is publication, archive, or site. | URL or interview date as locator. | Personal interview entries are allowed. |
| Chicago | Published interview author often follows publication byline. | Year after author in author-date. | Interview title in quotation marks. | Publication title and date. | URL for online published interview. | Personal interviews often appear in notes. |
| Harvard | Published interview author or interviewee by local rule. | Year in parentheses. | Interview title in single quotation marks. | Publication or archive title. | Available at URL and access date. | Personal communications usually stay out of reference list. |
APA 7 walkthrough
APA 7 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this interview? For an interview, uses the byline for a published interview, often the interviewer or article author. The date element uses the publication date of the interview. The title element formats the interview article title in sentence case. The source element names the publication or site where the interview appears. Finally, the locator element adds the URL for a published online interview. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
APA 7 personal interviews are cited only in text as personal communications because readers cannot retrieve them. In text, use (Allardice, 2019). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Allardice, L. (2019, September 20). Margaret Atwood: 'I am not a prophet. Science fiction is really about now'. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/20/margaret-atwood-interview-the-testaments
MLA 9 walkthrough
MLA 9 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this interview? For an interview, may start with the interviewer for a published article or the interviewee for a personal interview. The date element uses the full interview or publication date. The title element puts a published interview title in quotation marks and title case. The source element italicizes the publication, archive, or site as the container. Finally, the locator element ends with the URL for online material, or the interview date for a personal interview. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
MLA is more flexible than APA for personal interviews, but it still needs the label Personal interview. In text, use (Allardice). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Allardice, Lisa. "Margaret Atwood: I Am Not a Prophet. Science Fiction Is Really about Now." The Guardian, 20 Sept. 2019, www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/20/margaret-atwood-interview-the-testaments.
Chicago walkthrough
Chicago starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this interview? For an interview, uses the published byline in a reference entry, or the interviewee in a note for personal interviews. The date element places the year after the author in author-date references. The title element puts the interview title in quotation marks. The source element uses the publication title, full date, and medium or URL. Finally, the locator element adds the URL for a retrievable web interview. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
Chicago notes-bibliography is often better for interviews because notes can describe who interviewed whom and when. In text, use (Allardice 2019). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Allardice, Lisa. 2019. "Margaret Atwood: I Am Not a Prophet. Science Fiction Is Really about Now." The Guardian, September 20, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/20/margaret-atwood-interview-the-testaments.
Harvard walkthrough
Harvard starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this interview? For an interview, usually uses the published byline, while personal communications are cited in text. The date element puts the year in parentheses after the author. The title element sets the interview title in single quotation marks. The source element italicizes the publication or site title. Finally, the locator element uses Available at plus URL and Accessed date for online interviews. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
Cite Them Right 12th edition commonly keeps personal interviews out of the reference list unless they are recoverable research data. In text, use (Allardice, 2019). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Allardice, L. (2019) 'Margaret Atwood: I am not a prophet. Science fiction is really about now', The Guardian, 20 September. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/20/margaret-atwood-interview-the-testaments (Accessed: 15 January 2025).
Common mistakes for this source type
Most errors come from forcing an interview into the wrong template. Before submitting, check these details against the source itself, not against a database preview or a copied citation.
- Putting a private interview in the APA reference list instead of citing it as personal communication.
- Citing the interviewee as author when the published article has a clear byline and your style expects the byline.
- Leaving out the interview date for personal interviews.
- Using the publication homepage instead of the interview URL.
- Failing to label the source as a personal interview, transcript, podcast, or published article when the form is unclear.