To cite an APA interview, name the speaker in text with initials, surname, “personal communication,” and the date; skip the reference list.
You just finished an interview, you’ve got a quote you want to use, and your brain goes, “Wait… where does this go in APA?” Yep, it happens. Interviews feel simple until you try to format them.
Need how to cite apa interview in APA 7? This guide shows the patterns without guesswork. You’ll see the exact in-text wording, when to leave an interview out of the reference list, and when to cite a podcast, video, article, or webpage instead.
When An Interview Goes In Text Only
APA splits interviews into two buckets: sources your reader can’t retrieve, and sources your reader can retrieve. If your reader can’t click, stream, or pull the interview from a public place, APA treats it as a personal communication. That means you cite it in the body of your paper and you do not add a reference list entry.
If the interview is published or recorded in a place your reader can access, you cite that container instead. A podcast interview gets cited like a podcast episode. A YouTube interview gets cited like a YouTube video. A magazine Q&A gets cited like a magazine article.
| Interview Situation | How To Cite It In APA | Where It Appears |
|---|---|---|
| You interviewed someone by phone or Zoom, not posted anywhere | In-text personal communication: initials + surname + “personal communication” + full date | Text only (no reference entry) |
| You interviewed someone by email or direct message in a private thread | Same personal communication format | Text only (no reference entry) |
| You used a quote from a participant in your own study | Treat as your own data; label the participant and point to transcript placement | Text (plus appendix or supplement, if used) |
| You listened to an interview in a podcast episode | Cite the podcast episode format | Text + reference list |
| You watched an interview video on YouTube | Cite the YouTube video format (uploader as author) | Text + reference list |
| You read a published interview in a newspaper or magazine | Cite it like the article format for that outlet | Text + reference list |
| You used a written interview transcript posted on a website | Cite the webpage format | Text + reference list |
| You have a transcript stored in a public repository | Cite the repository item like a document or dataset page with DOI or URL | Text + reference list |
How To Cite Apa Interview In Text
If your interview isn’t publicly retrievable, treat it as a personal communication. APA’s own page on this topic lays out the format and the “text only” rule: APA Style personal communications.
Step 1: Use Initials And Surname
Write the interviewee’s first initial(s) plus last name. If they have two first names, include both initials. If the communicator is a group, use the group name as written.
- Person: R. T. Ahmed
- Person with two first names: M. J. Santos
- Group: Dhaka Public Library Staff
Step 2: Add The Label And The Date
After the name, add the words personal communication, then the date of the interview. Use the most exact date you have. Full date is best. If your notes only show a month and year, use that. If you only have the year, use the year.
Step 3: Choose Narrative Or Parenthetical Style
Both styles use the same four parts. The only change is where the name sits.
- Narrative style: Name in the sentence, then the rest in parentheses.
- Parenthetical style: Everything inside parentheses.
Narrative Style Model
R. T. Ahmed (personal communication, March 3, 2025) said the policy changed after the pilot phase.
Parenthetical Style Model
The policy changed after the pilot phase (R. T. Ahmed, personal communication, March 3, 2025).
Step 4: Place The Citation Right After The Sentence
Put the citation directly after the sentence that uses the interview. If you quote the person word for word, the citation still goes at the end of that sentence.
If you cite the same person again later, repeat the full personal communication citation each time. There’s no matching reference entry, so the in-text citation must carry the load every time.
If you cite two people in one sentence, keep each personal communication separate. Put them in the same parentheses, split with semicolons, and keep the dates paired with the right names.
Quick Checks Before You Move On
Scan your citation and confirm you can spot all four pieces: initials, surname, the words “personal communication,” and a date. If one piece is missing, fix it now.
Also check punctuation. In a parenthetical citation, commas separate the name, the label, and the date. Keep the phrase lowercase: personal communication.
Citing An APA Interview In Text By Type And Access
Here’s the no-drama decision rule. Ask one question: can your reader retrieve the interview source you used?
Personal Interviews You Conducted
If you conducted the interview and it lives only in your notes, recording, or inbox, your reader can’t retrieve it. Use the personal communication format shown above. This rule fits private calls, emails, text messages, and unshared recordings.
If your instructor asks you to add the transcript as an appendix, that’s fine. Your in-text citation stays a personal communication. Your appendix is part of your submitted work, not a public source your reader can locate later.
Research Participant Quotes In Your Own Study
Quotes from participants in your own research are treated as your original data. You don’t cite a participant like a book or article. You identify the participant in a consistent way and point the reader to where the transcript sits in your paper package.
APA Style spells this out on its page about participant quotations: Quotations from research participants. Pick a label system (Participant 1, P1, Interviewee A) and stick with it from start to finish.
Interviews You Can Retrieve
If you can hand your reader a stable path to the interview—like a URL, DOI, database record, or publisher page—you can cite it in the reference list. In that case, you’re not citing “an interview” as a stand-alone type. You’re citing the thing that contains it.
That container might be a podcast episode, a YouTube video, a streaming clip, a magazine feature, a news article, or a webpage. Match your reference entry to that container, then use the normal author–date style in text.
Reference List Entries For Interviews That Are Public
Once you’re in “retrievable” territory, you build a normal APA reference entry. You also use a normal in-text author–date citation for that source. Interviews often include two named people (interviewer and interviewee). APA usually treats the creator of the work as the author, which is often the host, interviewer, or uploader.
When you quote the interviewee’s words, name the interviewee in your sentence so your reader knows who said the words. Then cite the source that contains the quote.
Podcast Interview
Reference entry model: Host, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (No. xx) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast Title. Publisher. URL
In-text model: (Host, Year)
Sentence model: The guest said the early rollout was “slow at first,” then steadier (Host, 2024).
YouTube Or Other Video Interview
Reference entry model: Uploader Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL
In-text model: (Uploader Name, Year)
Sentence model: The interviewee said the training “took two weeks” before it felt natural (Uploader Name, 2023).
Magazine Or Newspaper Q&A
Reference entry model: Interviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of interview. Magazine Title, volume(issue), page–page. URL
In-text model: (Interviewer, Year)
Sentence model: The interviewee tied the shift to staffing levels (Interviewer, 2022).
Webpage With A Written Interview
Reference entry model: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL
In-text model: (Author, Year)
Sentence model: The interviewee described the change as “long overdue” (Author, 2021).
Match Your Interview To The Right Source Type
If you’re stuck, stop thinking “interview citation” and start thinking “source citation.” What did you watch, hear, or read? That answer points to the format.
| Where You Found The Interview | What To Cite As The Source | What To Do With The Interviewee’s Name |
|---|---|---|
| Private call, private email, private chat | Personal communication (in text only) | Use the interviewee’s name in the citation |
| Podcast episode with a guest | Podcast episode reference entry | Name the guest in your sentence before the quote |
| YouTube interview uploaded by a channel | YouTube video reference entry | Name the guest in your sentence before the quote |
| News site Q&A page | Webpage reference entry | Name the guest in your sentence before the quote |
| Magazine or newspaper feature | Article in a periodical reference entry | Name the guest in your sentence before the quote |
| Public transcript stored in a repository | Repository item reference entry (DOI or URL) | Name the guest and your transcript label, if you use one |
| Streaming show clip in a library database | Streaming media reference entry | Name the guest in your sentence before the quote |
Common Slipups That Cost Points
Most APA interview errors come from mixing the two buckets. Run through these checks and you’ll catch nearly all of them.
Putting A Personal Interview In The Reference List
If the interview can’t be retrieved by your reader, it doesn’t belong in the reference list. Keep it in text only.
Dropping The Initials
APA wants initials plus surname for personal communications. A last name alone looks unfinished.
Using The Wrong Date Pattern
Personal communications take the full date when you have it. For public sources like podcasts and videos, the in-text citation usually uses the year, while the reference entry carries the full date.
Forgetting Who Said The Words
In public interviews, your citation points to the source creator, not the interviewee. If the quote is from the guest, name the guest in your sentence so your reader can follow the speaker.
Citing An Interview You Didn’t Use
If you read someone’s recap of an interview, don’t cite it like you watched the interview. Cite the recap you actually used. If you later switch to the original interview, update your citation to match.
Final Checklist Before You Submit
- Decide retrievable vs not retrievable before you format anything.
- If not retrievable, cite in text with initials, surname, “personal communication,” and a date.
- Don’t add a reference entry for private interviews you conducted.
- If retrievable, cite the container (podcast, video, article, webpage, database item).
- Name the interviewee in your sentence when you quote their words.
- Do a last scan for consistency: same speaker label, same date style, same punctuation.
If you came here searching “how to cite apa interview,” you now have the pieces you need. Start with retrievable vs not retrievable, plug the parts into the right pattern, and you’re done for class.