Citing an interview in APA style
Published February 17, 2021. Updated October 29, 2021.
How to cite an Interview in APA
To cite an interview in APA style, it’s helpful to know basic information including the interviewee’s name, interviewer’s name, year/date, and title of the interview.
The templates and examples below are based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition:
Personal interview
Video interview
Audio interview
Published periodical interview (newspaper, magazine)
If you’re trying to cite an interview, the Chegg Writing APA citation generator could help.
Help protect your paper against accidental plagiarism with the Chegg Writing plagiarism checker and citation generator.
Citing a personal interview in APA style
For citing a personal interview in APA style, the surname and year are used in the narrative and parenthetical formats.
In-text citation template and example:
Narrative:
F.M. Surname (personal communication, Month Day, Year)
A. Stephen (personal communication, April 28, 2018)
Parenthetical:
(F.M. Surname, personal communication, Month Day, Year)
(A. Stephen, personal communication, April 28, 2018)
Reference list entries for personal interviews:
Personal interviews are only cited with in-text citations. Because they are not recoverable by the reader, they are not included in the reference list.
Read this APA format guide for more style basics.
Citing a video interview in APA style
For citing a video interview in APA style, the surname and year are used in the narrative and parenthetical formats.
In-text citation template and example:
Narrative:
Author Surname (Year)
Stewart (2019)
Parenthetical:
(Author Surname, Year)
(Stewart, 2019)
Reference list entry template and example:
Interviewee Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day). Title of the interview (F. M. Surname, Interviewer) [Format]. URL
Stewart, R. (2019, November 1). The truth about British politics (H. MacInnes, Interviewer) [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9GpEvkXH18
Citing an audio interview in APA style
For citing an audio interview in APA style, the surname and year are used in the narrative and parenthetical formats.
In-text citation template and example:
Narrative:
Author Surname (Year)
Nordahl (1998)
Parenthetical:
(Author Surname, Year)
(Nordahl, 1998)
Reference list entry template and example:
Interviewee Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day). Title of the interview (F. M. Surname, Interviewer) [Format]. URL
Nordahl, S. G. (1998, March 9). Vanden Plas audio interview (S. Lill, Interviewer) [Audio file]. https://www.metalexpressradio.com/1998/03/09/vanden-plas-audio-interview/
Citing a published periodical interview (newspaper, magazine) in APA style
For citing a published periodical interview in APA style, the surname and year are used in the narrative and parenthetical formats.
In-text citation template and example:
Narrative:
Author Surname (Year)
Madrigal (2020)
Parenthetical:
(Author Surname, Year)
(Madrigal, 2020)
Reference list entry template and example:
Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day). Interview title. Magazine Title. URL
Madrigal, A. C. (2020, November 18). Hospitals can’t go on like this. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/third-surge-hospitals-staffing-shortage/617128/
For more information on citing sources in APA, also read these guides on APA in-text citations and APA reference page examples.
APA Style: Learn More
Frequently asked questions
The correct way to format an in-text citation for an interview in APA is to include the interviewee’s name and publication year. The names of the interviewee, year/date, and title of the interview are needed for the reference-list entry. The below table shows how the in-text citation and the reference-list entry are included for an online interview.
In-text citation template and example:
(Interviewee’s Surname, Year of Publication)
(Swinton, 2014)
Reference-list entry template and example:
Surname, F. M. (Year). Title of the interview [Format]. Name of the Radio Channel or the Broadcasting Company. URL
Swinton, T. (2014, April 17). Only lovers left alive [Interview]. SBS. https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2014/04/17/tilda-swinton-interview-only-lovers-left-alive
Notes
In-text citation will only include the year.
The full date, if available, is included in the reference-list entry.
An unpublished, personal interview is cited as personal communication. This is because the information cannot be retrieved for future reference. Remember to include the interviewee’s initials in the in-text citation. Also, add the date in the Month Day, Year format. The below table shows how the in-text citation is included for an unpublished, personal interview.
In-text citation template and example:
(F. M. Interviewee’s Surname, personal communication, Month Day, Year)
(T. K. Lakinda, personal communication, August 23, 1998)
Unlock more help for your courses
Nail down everything from main ideas to small edits: real expert proofreading, plagiarism scans, and instant grammar checks 24/7