How to cite an interview in research (APA, MLA, Chicago)

How you cite an interview depends on whether it was published or personal. In APA, an interview you conducted is cited in-text only as a personal communication; a published interview is referenced like an article. In MLA, the works-cited entry leads with the person interviewed. Chicago handles both in notes.

Get the format right once and every interview in your paper stays consistent. This guide covers APA, MLA, and Chicago, the published-versus-personal distinction that trips most people up, and how a clean transcript makes quoting accurate.

Published vs. personal: the distinction that decides everything

Before picking a style, classify the interview.

A personal interview is one you conducted yourself, in person, by phone, or over video, and that no one else can access. Your reader cannot go find it. A published interview appears in a magazine, newspaper, podcast, broadcast, or website, where anyone can retrieve it.

This split changes how every style treats the source. Recoverable sources go in the reference or works-cited list; non-recoverable ones are often handled in-text only. Decide this first, then apply the format below.

APA format for interviews

Personal interview. APA (7th edition) does not put personal communications in the reference list, because they are not recoverable. Cite them in-text only, using the source's initials, the phrase "personal communication," and the exact date:

(J. Smith, personal communication, March 4, 2026)

Or narratively: According to J. Smith (personal communication, March 4, 2026), the program scaled quickly.

Published interview. Treat it as whatever medium published it. An interview printed in a magazine is cited as a magazine article; one released as a podcast episode is cited as a podcast episode. The reference-list entry centers on the interviewer or the publication, not the interviewee. A generic article-style entry:

Doe, J. (2026, March 4). Interview title. Publication Name, 12(3), 45-48.

In short: personal interview equals in-text only; published interview equals a full reference-list entry.

MLA format for interviews

MLA (9th edition) leads the works-cited entry with the person interviewed.

Interview you conducted:

Smith, Jane. Personal interview. 4 Mar. 2026.

If it was conducted by phone or video, you may describe the medium accordingly (for example, "Telephone interview" or "Video interview").

Published interview with a title, in a container such as a magazine or website:

Smith, Jane. "Interview Title." Interview by John Doe, Publication Name,
4 Mar. 2026, www.example.com/interview.

If the interview has no title, replace the quoted title with a plain description: Interview by John Doe. In-text, MLA uses the interviewee's last name, for example (Smith), with no page number when the source is unpaginated.

Chicago format for interviews (briefly)

Chicago (notes-bibliography) handles an unpublished personal interview mainly in a footnote, and often omits it from the bibliography because it is not recoverable:

1. Jane Smith, interview by the author, City, March 4, 2026.

A published interview gets a fuller note and a bibliography entry, formatted by its medium (article, podcast, broadcast) with the interviewer credited. Chicago's author-date system follows the same recoverable-versus-not logic as APA. When in doubt, mirror how Chicago cites the medium that published the interview.

How a clean transcript makes citing quotes easier

Citations live or die on accurate quotation, and that is where a good transcript earns its place. To quote a source you need the exact words and a way to verify them against the recording.

A transcript with word-level timestamps lets you do both. You search the text for the phrase, copy it verbatim, and note the time code so you, an editor, or a peer reviewer can jump straight to that moment in the audio and confirm the wording. That verification step is what separates a defensible quote from a paraphrase you half-remember.

TranscribTxt exports your interview as TXT, SRT, or JSON with word-level timestamps. The SRT and JSON outputs carry timing data, so locating the exact spot a quote was spoken, say 12:34 into the recording, takes seconds. Transcription is powered by ElevenLabs Scribe across 99 languages, and audio is deleted after transcription. If you are still choosing a workflow, see how to transcribe an interview and the full interview transcription guide.

A practical citing routine:

1. Transcribe the interview and export with timestamps.
2. Search the transcript for the quote and copy it exactly.
3. Note the time code next to your draft quote for later verification.
4. Apply the citation format above for your style and source type.

Ethics: consent, accuracy, and anonymity

Getting the format right is only half the job. The other half is treating the source fairly.

Consent. Obtain informed consent before recording, and be explicit about how the interview, quotes, and the person's name will be used. Recording laws vary by jurisdiction, especially for phone calls; see do you need consent to record and transcribe if you are unsure.

Accurate quotation. Quote what was actually said. Light cleanup of filler words is normal in many styles, but never edit a quotation in a way that changes its meaning, and use brackets to mark any inserted words and ellipses for omissions.

Anonymity. If a source spoke on condition of anonymity, strip identifying details and cite them by a pseudonym or role (for example, "a senior nurse, personal communication"). Protecting a source is both an ethical duty and, often, a condition of the consent they gave.

For more on research and reporting workflows, see transcribe interviews for journalism and the best transcription software for researchers in 2026.

Cite it right, the first time

Decide whether the interview is personal or published, then apply the matching format: APA personal communications stay in-text, MLA leads with the interviewee, and Chicago footnotes the unpublished interview. Quote exactly, and back every quote with a timestamp you can verify.

Transcribe the interview first, then cite accurately. TranscribTxt's free plan gives you 5 files per month with no credit card; Pro is $12/month for 1,200 minutes. Get a clean, timestamped transcript, and your citations take care of themselves.