How to Cite an Interview

MLA Interview Citation

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How to cite an interview in a bibliography using MLA

The citation format for an interview depends on how it was conducted and whether it was published.

Published Interview:

Begin your citation with the name of the person interviewed. This person’s name should be reversed, with a comma after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name). A suffix, such as a roman numeral or Jr./Sr. should appear after the person’s given name, preceded by a comma.

For a published interview with a title, include the title after the name of the person interviewed. If the interview is from a publication, program, or recording, place the title, along with a period, in quotation marks.

The entry format of a published interview also depends on whether the interviewer’s name is given or not. When you don’t know the interviewer’s name, omit it from the entry.

Interviewer’s Name Not Given:

Interviewee Last Name, First Name. “Interview Title.” Publication Title, Publication Date, Location Details (website URL, page number). Interview.

Interviewer’s Name Given:

Interviewee Last Name, First Name. “Interview Title.” Interview by First Name Last Name. Publication Title, Publication Date, Location Details (website URL, page number).

Interview with a Title:

For a published interview with a title, include the interview title after the name of the person interviewed. Use quotation marks around the interview title, followed by a period. Include the publication or broadcast program’s title in italics after the interview title.

Jolie, Angelina. “Being a Mother.” The New York Times, 30. Jan. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/01/30/interview/angelina-jolie-being-a-mother.html. Interview.

Interview without a Title:

If there is no interview title or if the interview was published independently, italicize the publication title and follow it with a period. If the interviewer’s name is known, include “Interview by” after the interview title details. Do not reverse the interviewer’s name (Interview by First Name Last Name).

Jolie, Angelina. 60 Minutes. Interview by Steve Kroft. CBS, 3 Feb. 2009.

Conclude the citation with publication information related to the medium in which the interview was published. See the Citation Guide entries for these works (e.g. radio/TV programs, magazines, newspapers, books) for specific guidelines. For books, there are minor changes to the publication information formatting. The author name(s) should not be reversed, should be preceded by the word “By”, and should come after the book title. Treat an interview in a book like a chapter and include the page numbers where it appears.

Jolie, Angelina. Interview by Steve Kroft. 60 Minutes. CBS. WCBS, New York: 3 Feb. 2009.

Jolie, Angelina. Interview by John Smith. Newsweek 3 Feb. 2009: B22+.

Jolie, Angelina. Interview by John Smith. Discussions with a Star. By Jane Doe. Pittsburgh: BibMe, 2009. 28-47.

Unpublished Interview:

Interviewee Last Name, First Name. Interview. Conducted by Interviewer First Name Last Name, Date Conducted.

Hill, Joe. Interview. Conducted by Jane Doe, 22 Oct. 2020.

Begin your citation with the name of the person interviewed. This person’s name should be reversed, with after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name). A suffix, such as a roman numeral or Jr./Sr. should appear after the person’s given name, preceded by a comma.

For a personally conducted interview, after the person interviewed, state the type of interview (e.g. personal interview, telephone interview, etc.), followed by a period. Conclude the citation with the date the interview was conducted, followed by a period. For the interview date, write the complete date in the international format (i.e., day-month-year). With the exception of May, June, and July, abbreviate month names (four letters for September, three letters for all other months) and follow the date with a period.

Interviewee Name. Interview type with the author. Date Conducted.

Jolie, Angelina. Telephone interview with the author. 11 Feb. 2009.

“Half of my life is an act of revision.” – John Irving

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How do I format a works cited entry for an unpublished interview in MLA style?

To provide a works-cited entry for an unpublished interview, use the following format as per the MLA handbook.

Format

Last Name, First Name. Interview. Conducted by Name, Date Month. Year.

Example

O’Connor, Mary. Interview. Conducted by Mary Skiemer, 23 Nov. 2003.

How do I format a works cited entry for an interview in which the interviewer’s name is not given in MLA style?

For an interview that does not have the interviewer’s name, place the interviewee’s name at the beginning of the citation.

Format

Interviewee’s Last Name, First Name. “Title.” Publication Title, Date, Location (URL, p xx). Interview.

Sample

Helper, Sidrah. “Sidrah: Chronicles of a Housemaid.” Angelic Publishers, 28 Mar. 2022, www.angelicpub.net/2022/hosuemaidchronicles.html. Interview.

If the interview is from a printed book, use the format below.

Format

Interviewee’s Last Name, First Name. “Chapter Title.” Title of Book, edited by First Name, Last Name (if applicable), Publisher Name, Year, pp. xx-xx.

Example

Pedro, Silva. “A Cook’s Journey.” Interviews with Great Chefs, edited by Stephen Smith. Grove Publishers, 2004, pp. 23-40.