MLA Style: Basics
Interviews & Personal Communications
Interviews
Unpublished Interview
General Format
Interviewee. Interview. Conducted by Interviewer, Date.
Interviewee. Telephone interview with the author. Date.
For Example
Obama, Barack. Interview. Conducted by Girl Scout Troop 82, 4 June 2010.
Ginsburg, Ruth Bader. Telephone interview with the author. 15 Sept. 2016.
In-Text Citation
Parenthetical Citation
(Obama)
(Ginsburg)
Citation in Prose
Obama, in an interview with local Girl Scout Troop 82, said that...
Published Interview
General Format
Interviewee. "Interview Title." Interview by Interviewer. Container, Publisher, Date, Location.
For Example
Ramos, Anthony. "'In The Heights' Star Anthony Ramos Says The Movie Sees 'Good In Every Hood'." Interview by Terry Gross. NPR, 14 June 2021, www.npr.org/2021/06/14/1006219871/in-the-heights-anthony-ramos-lin-manuel-miranda-musical-movie.
In-Text Citation
Parenthetical Citation
(Ramos)
Citation in Prose
Anthony Ramos, who plays Usnavi in In The Heights...
Personal Communications
Emails
General Format
Sender. Email to Recipient. Date.
For Example
Wallingford, Jason. Email to the author. 23 Aug. 2020.
Zhang, Lin. Email to the Board of Trustees. 2 Dec. 2008.
In-Text Citation
Parenthetical Citation
(Wallingford)
(Zhang)
Citation in Prose
Jason Wallingford admitted, in an email, that...
Lin Zhang wrote to the Board of Trustees to express concerns. In her email, dated December 2, 2008,...
Text Messages
General Format
Sender. Text message to Recipient. Date.
For Example
Richards, Penny. Text message to Hunter Fabin. 4 Apr. 2021.
In-Text Citation
Parenthetical Citation
(Richards)
Citation in Prose
Penny Richards stated, in a text message to Hunter Fabin and obtained by court order, that...