Detailed papers often include interviews as a source. Interviews generally fall into two categories: printed or broadcast interviews and unpublished personal interviews. Citing an interview can be confusing if you are used to quoting from books and articles. However, citing an interview in the MLA format is very simple.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Citing Interview in Text
Step 1. Use the interviewee's last name when citing a personal interview
A personal interview is an interview that you do yourself. This type of interview does not have page numbers because it is not published in book form. When citing personal interviews in your paper, make sure you only include the author's last name in brackets at the end of the sentence.
- Put a period after the brackets. Parentheses in quotations are also part of the sentence. The period is at the end of the sentence, so the brackets are before the period.
- The project leader stated that they had the budget to buy a new computer (Jones).
- "Training for the Olympics is a very challenging thing for me." said Emily (Walker).
Step 2. Remove the brackets if you use the last name of the speaker in the sentence
The MLA guidelines state that if you put the author's last name in a sentence, you don't need to put it in parentheses again. The information in brackets is complementary and does not repeat the information in the sentence.
- Jones said they had the budget to buy a new computer.
- Training for the Olympics has been very challenging for me," Walker said.
- The difference in the example in step 1 and step 2 is the form of writing the last name. In step 1, the last name is written in parentheses because the name does not appear in the sentence. In step 2, the last name already appears in the sentence, so the name doesn't need to be rewritten in parentheses.
- The last name must appear in a sentence or in parentheses because it will also appear on the bibliography page. All citations must be linked to the bibliography page.
Step 3. Write down the last name and page number for the printed interview
If you are quoting from a printed interview, include the author's last name and the page number of the passage cited. These quotes are the same as quotes from books and journals.
- Emily trains so hard that her leg is bruised and she has to rest (Walker 45).
- Walker explained that he had to rest because his leg was bruised after training too hard (45).
- Note that in MLA format, you don't put a comma between the last name and the page number in parentheses.
Step 4. Write a short interview excerpt in quotation marks
Short quotations of no more than four lines. When you write a short direct quote (a direct quote means quoting word for word, without paraphrasing), enclose the quote in quotation marks. Put parentheses after the final quotation mark and before the period.
- If the quote ends in an exclamation point or question mark, place it in quotation marks.
- Dr. James Hill said, "The virus started to affect the brain" (56).
- Dr. James Hill asked, "If we can't find a cure, how are we going to save humanity?" (57).
Step 5. Write long quotes separate from paragraphs
Long quotes consist of more than four lines. When you create a long direct quote, keep it separate from the main paragraph. Do not surround long quotations in quotation marks. Start the quote on a new line and put a colon in the main paragraph before the quote. This is in contrast to short quotes which require a comma instead of a colon. Indent one inch from the page margin of the quote. In contrast to short quotes, parentheses are placed at the end after a period (or question mark/exclamation mark).
- Preface your quote in this format: In an interview in 2002, Peter Jackson revealed:
- End your quote like this: Jackson said that he would continue to produce films. (34–35)
Method 2 of 2: Citing Interview on Bibliography Page
Step 1. Begin the excerpt of the personal interview with the last name of the interviewee
On the bibliography page, all citation source entries begin with the last name of the author/resource person. After that, add a comma and continue with the initial name of the source. Put a dot after it. Next, add the type of interview followed by a period. Add interview date and period.
- Writing the date has the following format: write the date with numbers followed by three letters of the name of the month and followed by a period and ending with the year. Most months can be written with a three-letter abbreviation. The month of May is written without a dot. The months of June and July need not be abbreviated and followed by periods. September is abbreviated by 4 letters: Sept.
- Write down the type of interview being conducted, whether it's a personal interview, over the phone, or by email.
- Example: Gambill, Mie. Phone interview. 1 Apr. 2003.
Step 2. Add an issue title if the interview is published
Published interviews can be in print or broadcast. If the interview cited has been published in the form of a book or TV program, include the title of the interview in the quote followed by the medium of the interview (print, web, DVD). The title of the interview is enclosed in quotation marks and the title of the book/TV show is italicized.
- For interviews published in print, start with the interviewee's last name, followed by a comma and his first name. Add dots. Write the name of the interview and a period in quotation marks. Next, italicize the name of the book or journal the interview is written. Add dots. Then, write the author or editor of the book in the format "By [First Name] [Last Name]" or "Ed. [First Name] [Last Name]" (without brackets). Add dots. End the quote by including other information needed according to the medium.
- Amis, Kingsley. "Mimics and Moralists." Interviews with Britain's Angry Young Men. By Dale Salwak. San Bernardino: Borgo, 1984. 34-47. Print.
- Blanchett, Cate. "In Character with Cate Blanchett." Notes on a Scandal. director. Richard Eyre. Fox Searchlight, 2006. DVD.
- If the quoted interview does not have a name/title, simply write the word "Interview" without quotes or italics.
- Jolie, Angelina. Interview. 60 Minutes. CBS. WCBS, New York: 3 Feb. 2009. Television.
Step 3. Citing interviews published on the internet has the same format as citing standard web entries
Interviews published on the internet are cited the same as standard web entries. In place of the author's name, write the name of the source starting with the last name. If the interview has a title, write it in quotation marks. Italicize the name of the website, followed by the name of the publisher, date of publication, medium of publication (web), and the date you accessed the interview.
- If there is no publisher name, write the abbreviation n.p. If there is no issue date, write n.d.
- If the interview does not have a title, write it normally without italics or quote "Interview" after the interviewee's name.
- Obama, Michelle. Interview by Caren Zucker. ABC News. ABC, 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2009.
- Antin, David. "The Way I See It." Dalkey Archive Press. Dalkey Archive P, n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2007
Tips
- Make sure to write down the source of the citation so that you are not considered plagiarism.
- Keep in mind that bibliography pages use hanging indents. Align the first row with the left margin and indent the next row.
- Always start MLA citations with the last name.
- Arrange the entries on the bibliography page alphabetically.
- Don't write your last name in AND in parentheses.
