How to Cite an Interview | APA, MLA & Chicago Style
To cite a published interview from a newspaper, you need an in-text citation and a corresponding reference listing the interviewer’s name, the publication date, the interview title, the name of the newspaper, and a URL if the article was consulted online.
The exact format varies across the different citation styles: APA, MLA, and Chicago style.
When referring to an interview you conducted yourself as part of your research, you generally don’t need to include a formal citation.
QuillBot’s Notepad can help you take online notes and keep track of information you may need to cite.
Citing an interview in APA Style
In an APA Style reference for an interview published in a newspaper, the interviewer is listed as author in the reference entry and the APA in-text citation.
APA format | Interviewer last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Interview title. Newspaper Name. Page number(s). or URL |
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APA reference entry | Allardice, L. (2021, February 20). Kazuo Ishiguro: “AI, gene-editing, big data … I worry we are not in control of these things any more.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview |
APA in-text citation | (Allardice, 2021) |
Because the name of the interviewer appears in the in-text citation, it won’t always be clear whom you’re quoting. It’s important to clarify in the sentence when you’re quoting the interviewee’s words.
For interviews published in other source types (e.g. books, journal articles, podcasts, videos), follow the relevant format, listing the interviewer as the author in each case.
Participant interviews
In APA Style, a participant interview is one you conducted yourself as an explicit part of your research methodology. Since these are your own work and not previously published, they should not be cited.
Instead, describe where the information comes from the first time you quote or paraphrase the interviews.
If the interviews themselves are included in an appendix, you can point this out to the reader with a parenthetical statement like “(see Appendix A)” the first time you quote them.
Personal interviews
When you refer to something someone said to you privately, outside of the context of a formal interview, this is cited informally in the text as a personal communication.
Citing an interview in MLA Style
In an MLA Works Cited entry for an interview published in a newspaper, you list the interviewee in the author element. Clarify who conducted the interview after the title, and use the interviewee’s name in the MLA in-text citation.
MLA format | Interviewee last name, First name. “Interview Title.” Interview by Interviewer first name Last name. Newspaper Name, Day Month Year, URL. or p. Page number(s). |
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MLA Works Cited entry | Ishiguro, Kazuo. “Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data … I Worry We Are Not in Control of These Things Any More.’” Interview by Lisa Allardice. The Guardian, 20 Feb. 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview. |
MLA in-text citation | (Ishiguro) |
Works Cited entries for interviews published in other source types should follow the relevant format (e.g. book, video, podcast, journal article).
Interviews you conducted
When referring to an interview you conducted yourself, keep the interviewee in the author position, and list your own name and the date when you conducted the interview later. These interviews are usually untitled; just write “Interview” in plain text in the title position.
MLA format | Interviewee last name, First name. Interview. Conducted by Your first name Last name, Day Month Year. |
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MLA Works Cited entry | Smith, Emma. Interview. Conducted by Jack Caulfield, 31 Mar. 2021. |
MLA in-text citation | (Smith) |
Citing an interview in Chicago Style
A Chicago style bibliography entry for an interview published in a newspaper lists the interviewee in the author position, mentioning the interviewer later.
In the Chicago footnote, the interviewee name may be omitted if it’s already part of the title.
Chicago format | Interviewee last name, First name. “Interview Title.” Interview by Interviewer first name Last name. Newspaper Name. Month Day, Year. URL. |
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Chicago bibliography entry | Ishiguro, Kazuo. “Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data … I Worry We Are Not in Control of These Things Any More.’” Interview by Lisa Allardice. Guardian. February 20, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview. |
Chicago footnote | 1. “Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data … I Worry We Are Not in Control of These Things Any More,'” interview by Lisa Allardice, Guardian, February 20, 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/20/kazuo-ishiguro-klara-and-the-sun-interview.
2. Ishiguro, “‘AI, Gene-Editing, Big Data.’” |
For interviews published in other source types, follow the relevant format (e.g. book, video, journal article), always listing the interviewee as the author.
Interviews you conducted
When referring to an interview you conducted yourself, Chicago recommends against including it in the bibliography. Instead, just refer to the interview in a footnote when you first quote or paraphrase it. You can refer to yourself as “author” in this context.
Frequently asked questions about citations
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Caulfield, J. (2024, November 06). How to Cite an Interview | APA, MLA & Chicago Style. Scribbr. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/cite-an-interview/