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Chicago Style: Basics

This guide is intended to help you learn what Chicago Style is and includes. This guide will help you cite sources and avoid plagiarism. The guide also includes examples of Chicago style and lead you to resources that can help you cite sources.

Hanging Indent

The bibliography entry text should be left-justified; if an entry is more than one line, indent the subsequent line(s) half an inch from the left margin. For more information, please see the CMOS 14.19: Notes and bibliography—an overview or 14.62: Format and placement of bibliography.

NOTE: The library's webpage doesn't show the hanging indent in our examples. 

Interviews

Unpublished interviews

Unpublished interviews are typically cited in the text or in notes, and not in the bibliography, because they are not retrievable by your reader.

General Format:

2. Interviewee, interviewed by Interviewer, Date.

For Example:

2. Sara Smith, interviewed by John Jones, February 1, 2024.

Shortened Note:

5. Smith, interview.

 

Unattributed Interviews

An unattributed interview is an interview with a person who prefers to remain anonymous, or whose name the author does not wish to reveal. These interviews are also typically cited only in the text or in a note, and not in the bibliography.

General Format:

2. Interview with identifier (e.g. health-care worker), Date.

For Example:

2. Interview with political science student, September 29, 2016.

Shortened Note:

5. Interview with political science student.

See note ¹

 

Published or Broadcast Interviews

General Format:

3. IntervieweeFirstName IntervieweeLastName, "Title of Interview," interview by InterviewerFirstName InterviewerLastName, Source, Date, URL or page(s).

For Example:

3. Angula, Nahas, "The Pan-African Institute for the Study of African Society: an interview with Nahas Angula," interview by Itibari M. Zulu, Journal of Pan African Studies 10, no. 1 (March 2017): 279, EBSCOhost.

OR

4. Bruce Springsteen, "Watch: Bruce Springsteen, our complete interview," interview by Jeffrey Brown, PBS NewsHour, December 20, 2016, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/watch-bruce-springsteen-complete-interview. 

Shortened Note:

6. Springsteen, interview.

Corresponding Bibliography Entry:

Springsteen, Bruce. "Watch: Bruce Springsteen, our complete interview." Interview by Jeffrey Brown. PBS NewsHour, December 20, 2016. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/watch-bruce-springsteen-complete-interview. 

See notes  ², ³

 

¹ A bibliography entry is not needed. See 14.109: Unattributed interviews This link opens in a new window for more information. 

² For more information on interviews, see the Interviews and Personal Communications This link opens in a new window section of the CMOS.

³ The Citation Quick Guide section on Interviews This link opens in a new window used this format of shortened citations.