To cite an interview in APA format, match the interview type to APA 7 rules for in-text citations and reference entries.
Learning how to cite an interview in apa format helps you show exactly where a quote or idea came from and keeps your writing honest. Interview material often carries detail that you cannot get from books or articles, so clear citation gives your reader a fair way to follow the source. This guide walks through the main interview types in APA 7, then shows simple templates you can copy into your own paper.
Why Interview Citations Matter In APA Writing
APA 7 treats interviews differently based on whether someone can find the recording or transcript. If the interview lives in a newspaper, podcast, video, or book, your reader can locate it, so it belongs in the reference list. If the interview is private, like a phone call or email, your reader cannot retrieve it, so APA treats it as a personal communication that appears only in the text.
How To Cite An Interview In APA Format Step By Step
This section breaks the task into simple choices. First, decide which type of interview you used. Then, match it to the correct APA rule for that type. The table below gives a fast overview before the detailed sections that follow.
| Interview Type | Can Reader Retrieve It? | APA Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Personal interview you held (in person, phone, video) | No | In-text citation only as personal communication; no reference entry |
| Email, text, or direct message with one person | No | In-text citation only as personal communication; no reference entry |
| Interview with a research participant | No | Describe in the method section; usually no separate citation |
| Interview printed in a newspaper or magazine | Yes | Create a reference entry for the article; cite like any newspaper or magazine piece |
| Interview in a book chapter or edited collection | Yes | Follow the standard APA format for a chapter in an edited book |
| Interview in a podcast episode, radio show, or video | Yes | Cite the episode or recording using the APA rules for that medium |
| Interview stored in an archive or database | Yes | Include the collection name and locator so readers can find the source |
Personal Interviews As Personal Communications
APA classifies private interviews as personal communications. These include one to one meetings, calls, video chats, and similar conversations that are not recorded in a public source. Because other readers cannot access them, you do not list these interviews in the reference list. Instead, you give an in-text citation that names the speaker, labels the source as a personal communication, and includes the date.
An in-text citation for this type should use initials and surname, along with the phrase personal communication and the exact date. A parenthetical citation looks like this: (J. R. Patel, personal communication, March 4, 2024). A narrative version weaves the name into the sentence, such as: J. R. Patel stated that the pilot program was still running (personal communication, March 4, 2024).
APA Style explains that personal communications appear only in the text and never in the reference list because the reader has no way to retrieve them.
Published Interviews In Articles Or Books
Published interviews that appear in newspapers, magazines, journals, or books follow the same reference rules as any other item from that source type. The interviewer usually occupies the author spot in the reference entry, while the person being interviewed appears in the title or in the body of your sentence. When you quote words spoken by the interviewee, make it clear in your phrasing who is speaking so that readers do not confuse the interviewer and the interviewee.
For a newspaper or magazine interview, the reference entry normally includes the interviewer’s surname and initials, the date, the title of the piece, the periodical name in italics, volume and issue if present, page range if given, and the URL when you used the online version. In-text citations follow the standard author date format, such as (Dundas, 2019).
Recorded Media Interviews And Online Sources
Interviews in podcasts, radio programs, or online videos also count as retrievable sources. APA treats them like audio or audiovisual media, not as a special interview category. The host or producer often stands in the author position. The reference entry then lists the episode date, episode title, description in square brackets, the series name, production company if known, and the URL.
For a podcast episode, an entry might look like this pattern: Host surname, Initials. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Episode title (No. episode number) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast Title. Production Company. URL. For a video on a site such as YouTube, you list the uploader as the author, followed by the screen name in brackets if it differs, the date, the video title in italics, a label such as [Video], the site name, and the URL.
Citing Interviews In APA Format For Different Situations
Now that the main categories are set, you can match each writing situation to a clear pattern. The sections below show how how to cite an interview in apa format when you conducted the interview, when you quote an interview from a publication, and when you work with participants in a study.
Interviews You Conducted For Your Paper
When you meet with an expert or practitioner to gather material for a paper, you likely have a one to one conversation that no one else can access. APA treats this as a personal communication, so it appears only in the text. There is no entry on the reference page. You still need to keep notes and save any consent messages, but those stay in your own files not in the list of sources.
Use an in-text citation the first time you quote or paraphrase the speaker. Include the speaker’s initials and surname, the label personal communication, and the full date. Later citations in the same paper keep the full format as well, since the source never appears in the references. This clear and steady pattern helps readers see that the material came from a private conversation.
APA Style’s page on personal communications explains this rule and stresses that these citations belong in the text only. You can find that explanation on the personal communications guidance for APA 7.
Interviews Published In News Or Magazine Articles
If you draw from an interview that appeared in a newspaper, online news site, or magazine, you cite the piece as you would any other article. The interviewer’s name appears in the author slot, and the title usually signals that the text is an interview. When you quote, you can introduce the speaker in the sentence and then place the standard author date citation at the end.
A sample in-text citation might read: In her profile of the artist, Lee reported that “the exhibit sold out within minutes” (2018, para. 3). The reference entry would list Lee as the author, the full date, the article title, the periodical title, and the URL or page range. Purdue OWL’s section on non print sources shows several clear models on its APA interview examples page.
Research Participant Interviews And Ethics
When you conduct interviews as part of a formal study, APA suggests a slightly different approach. Instead of citing each participant as a personal communication, you normally describe the interview process in the method section and then refer to participants in text with labels or pseudonyms. That way, you respect privacy while still showing how the data arose.
Sentences can look like this: One participant stated that the schedule “did not match my work hours,” while another participant described the schedule as “workable but tiring.” You do not add parenthetical citations after these quotes, because the method section already makes clear how many participants took part and how they were identified.
Quick Templates For Common APA Interview Citations
Sample Template Checklist
Use these patterns as models, then adjust names, dates, and titles so each citation matches your source.
Templates save time once you understand the logic behind them. This section groups common interview situations and provides patterns you can adjust to your source. Replace the sample names, dates, and titles with your own details, and keep the punctuation in the same order.
| Scenario | In-Text Citation Template | Reference Entry Template |
|---|---|---|
| Personal interview you carried out | (A. B. Surname, personal communication, Month Day, Year) | No reference entry |
| Email or message from an individual | (A. B. Surname, personal communication, Month Day, Year) | No reference entry |
| Interview in a newspaper article | (Interviewer Surname, Year) | Interviewer Surname, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Newspaper Name. URL |
| Interview in a magazine or journal | (Interviewer Surname, Year) | Interviewer Surname, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Periodical Name, volume(issue), pages. URL or DOI |
| Interview in a podcast episode | (Host Surname, Year) | Host Surname, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Episode title (No. episode number) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast Name. Production Company. URL |
| Interview in an online video | (Uploader Surname, Year) | Uploader Surname, A. A. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. Site Name. URL |
| Interview in an edited book chapter | (Interviewer Surname, Year) | Interviewer Surname, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In A. Editor & B. Editor (Eds.), Book title (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. |
Choosing Between Narrative And Parenthetical Citations
APA allows two main styles for in-text citations. A narrative citation folds the author or speaker name into the sentence, while a parenthetical citation places all of the information in brackets at the end. With interviews, narrative citations often read more smoothly, because they keep the focus on who is speaking.
Here is a personal communication in narrative form: During an interview on March 4, 2024, J. R. Patel noted that the pilot program was still running (personal communication). In parenthetical form, the same idea would read: The pilot program was still running (J. R. Patel, personal communication, March 4, 2024). Both are correct; choose the one that best fits the flow of your sentence.
Practical Tips For Clear Interview Citations In APA
Start by recording full details for every interview as soon as you finish it. Note the date, full name, role of the person, and the format of the conversation. This habit saves time when you prepare your paper, because you will not need to track down missing dates or spellings.
Next, sort each interview into one of the main categories from the first table. Ask a simple question: can a reader who picks up your paper find this source in a public place? If the answer is no, treat it as a personal communication and keep it out of the reference list. If the answer is yes, match it to the correct reference pattern for a newspaper article, magazine piece, book chapter, podcast, or video.
Finally, build a short checklist for yourself. Include steps such as “label private interviews as personal communications,” “name the interviewer as author for published interviews,” and “add paragraph numbers for online quotes where needed.” A one page checklist beside your draft can keep your handling of APA interviews steady from the introduction through the reference list.