Published February 1, 2021. Updated November 8, 2021.

How to cite an interview in MLA

To cite an Interview in MLA style, you need to know the name of person interviewed, interviewer’s name, year/date of interview, and title of the interview.The templates and examples below are based on the MLA Handbook, 9th edition. On this page, you can learn how to cite the following:

• Personal interview

• Video interview

• Audio interview

• Published periodical interview (newspaper, magazine)

• Unpublished interview

• Citing multiple authors or no author

If you’re trying to cite an Interview in MLA, the Chegg Writing MLA citation generator could help.

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Citing a personal interview in MLA

For citing a personal interview in MLA style, the surname of the author is used in narrative and parenthetical.

In-text citation template and example:

Narrative:

Author Surname

Ambani

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname)

(Ambani)

Works cited entry template and example:

Name of Person Interviewed. “Title.” Interview by Interviewer’s Name, Date of Interview, URL.

Ambani, Mukesh. “Always Invest in Businesses of Future and in Talent.” Interview by Rediff Business, 2007, www.rediff.com/money/2007/jan/17inter.htm.

Read this MLA format guide for more style basics.

Citing a video interview in MLA

For citing a video interview in MLA style, the surname of the author is used in narrative and parenthetical.

In-text citation template and example:

Narrative:

Author Surname

Zupp

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname)

(Zupp)

Works cited entry template and example:

Name of Person Interviewed. “Title.” Platform, Date of Interview, URL.

Zupp, Brent. “Dairy Consumption Increases Prostate Cancer Risk.” YouTube, 13 March 2019, youtu.be/744Fupg9M.

Citing an audio interview in MLA

For citing an audio interview in MLA style, the surname of the author is used in narrative and parenthetical.

In-text citation template and example:

Narrative:

Author Surname

Rubin

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname)

(Rubin)

Works cited entry template and example:

Name of Person Interviewed. “Title.” Interview by Interviewer’s Name, Date of Interview, URL.

Rubin, Eric J., et al. “An Update from Operation Warp Speed.” Interview by Janet Woodcock, 9 November 2020, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php.

Citing a published periodical interview (newspaper, magazine) in MLA

For citing a published periodical interview (newspaper, magazine) in MLA style, the surname of the author is used in narrative and parenthetical.

In-text citation template and example:

Narrative:

Author Surname

Tufekci

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname)

(Tufekci)

Works cited entry template and example:

Name of Person Interviewed. “Title.” Magazine name, Date of Interview, URL.

Tufekci, Zeynep. “Hang on for 3 More Months.” The Atlantic, 17 December 2000, www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/wait-until-march/617410/.

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.

Citing an 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.

Citing multiple authors and no author

2 authors

In-text example:

Muan and Liu …

… (Muan and Liu)

Works cited example:

Muan and Liu …

… (Muan and Liu)

3+ authors

In-text example:

However, Rubin et al. …

… (Rubin et al.)

Works cited example:

Rubin, Eric J., et al. “An Update from Operation Warp Speed.” Interview by Janet Woodcock, 9 Nov. 2020, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4120281.

Organization is author/publisher

In-text example:

The New Yorker stated that …

… (“Willie Nelson Understands”)

Works cited example:

“Willie Nelson Understands.” The New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2020, www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/willie-nelson-understands.

No author

In-text example:

“God Bless You” …

… (“God Bless You”)

Works cited example:

“God Bless You.” Toronto Star. Shorturl.at/eiyzW.

For more information on citing sources in MLA, also read these guides on MLA in-text citations and MLA works cited examples.