MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Interviews And Emails (Personal ...

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On This Page: Interviews and Emails (Personal Communications)

• Interview (In Person)
• Citing Elders
• Email Interview
• Telephone Interview

Abbreviating Months

In your works cited list, abbreviate months as follows:

January = Jan. February = Feb. March = Mar. April = Apr. May = May June = June July = July August = Aug. September = Sept. October = Oct. November = Nov. December = Dec.

Spell out months fully in the body of your paper.

When is personal communication (in person, emails, and telephone) used in citation?

The category "Personal Communications" is used in situations where you are taking information from a source such as an email thread or an interview you conducted with someone else. In this case the work isn't published anywhere; someone else couldn't find and read the full interview or email on their own.

Sometimes you may find interviews with people in journals, magazines, newspapers, websites, etc. In those cases don't use the "Personal Communications" category. Instead, cite them according to where you found the information.

For example, an interview in a magazine would be cited like a magazine article. That way anyone reading your assignment could easily track down the interview for themselves by finding the same magazine article.

Formatting

Note: For your Works Cited list, all citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

Interview (In Person)

Last Name of Person Who Was Interviewed, First Name. Interview. By Interviewer First Name Last Name, Day Month Year of interview.

Works Cited List Example	Myers, Elizabeth. Interview. By Bob Jones, 12 Mar. 2025.
In-Text Citation Example	(Last Name of Person Who Was Interviewed) Example: (Myers) Note: If the name of the person who was interviewed is mentioned in the sentence leading into the quote or paraphrased content, you do not need to repeat it in the in-text citation. For example: Myers explained that "media violence is dangerous because it has been eroticized."

Citing Elders

Last name, First names, Elder, Nation/Community. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. Personal communication, Date Month Year. Territorial Acknowledgement of where the information was shared/collected.

Works Cited List Example	Lekeyten, Elder, Kwantlen First Nation. Community Justice. Personal communication, 4 April 2019. Shared on the traditional unceded territory of the Kwantlen, Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt and Kwikwetlem Peoples.
In-Text Citation Example	(Name of Person Who Was Interviewed) Example: (Lekeyten)

This citation template was developed by Norquest College in the spirit of wahkôhtowin and reconciliation. It was expanded upon by Kwantlen Polytechnic University Library and the KPU the Elder in Residence, Lekeyten.

Email Interview

Last Name of Person Who Was Interviewed, First Name. "Subject Line of Email." Received by Name of Person Who Received Email, Day Month Year of Email. Email Interview.

Works Cited List Example	Smith, Paula. "Re: Food and Family." Received by Joseph Tan, 20 May 2024. Email Interview. Note: The words Email Interview are added to the citation to specify that it is an interview.
In-Text Citation Example	(Last Name of Person Who Was Interviewed) Example: (Smith) Note: If the name of the person who was interviewed is mentioned in the sentence leading into the quote or paraphrased content, you do not need to repeat it in the in-text citation. For example: Smith asserted that food builds relationships because of a cultural appreciation inherent in enjoying a meal with family.

Learn more: See MLA Handbook, p. 124 for citing emails, p. 211 for descriptions at the end of citations.

Telephone Interview

Last Name of Person Who Was Interviewed, First Name. Interview. Day Month Year of interview. By Interviewer First Name Last Name. Telephone Interview.

Works Cited List Example	Ball, William. Interview. By Hyun Jae Lee. 30 Jan. 2025. Telephone Interview. Note: The words Telephone Interview are added to the citation to specify that it is an interview.
In-Text Citation Example	(Last Name of Person Who Was Interviewed) Example: (Ball) Note: If the name of the person who was interviewed is mentioned in the sentence leading into the quote or paraphrased content, you do not need to repeat it in the in-text citation. For example: Ball stated that "infections are often contracted while patients are recovering in the hospital."

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• Last Updated: Nov 27, 2025 10:44 AM
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