MLA Interview Citation

MLA Interview Citation 

Learning how to cite is probably one of the most important things you need to learn when it comes to handling assignments. There are many citation methods, each with its specifications. With each citation style comes different ways of citing various sources. This paper presents a perfect overview of how to cite interviews using the MLA citation style.

How to Cite Interviews Using MLA Citation Style

Interviews fall in two different categories, which include published (print/broadcast) and unpublished (personal) interviews. These interviews may also fall into other formats, such as web documents and emails.

Citing Unpublished/ Personal Interviews

Personal Interviews, also known as unpublished interviews, are the interviews you conduct personally to get the information you need. To site this interview, all you need to capture is the name of the interviewee, a descriptor of the interview, and the date when the interview took place. Therefore, when citing the interview, your citation should include the full name of the interviewee starting with the surname, a descriptor of the interview, and finally the date the interview took place. The three contents should be separated by putting good use of full stops.

For example, let’s say you interviewed Jeffrey Preston Bezos on the 22nd of May 2019, your citation at the work cited page will appear a follows;

Bezos, Jeffrey Preston. Personal interview. 22nd May 2019.

The in-text citation will appear as follows; (Bezos)

Citing Published Interviews

Published interviews are the documented interviews either in print or DVD. The interview could be published on its own or as part of a larger work like a book, a film series, or a television program. For an independent interview, you need to capture the title of the interview, the name of the interviewee, and the date the interview was published. The title of this citation should be italicized.

This is quite different from an interview that is published on larger works. For this citation, capture the name of the interviewee, the name of the interview and the title of the larger publication. If the larger publication is a book, capture the name of the author or editor and the year it was published.

Below is an example of an interview citation from a larger publication (Magazine).

Clark, Sonya. “Interrogating the Past.” Bomb Magazine, no.148, 2019. By Scott Turri.

Citing online or web publication

These are the interviews accessible via the internet. To cite this in your assignment, you need to capture the name of the interviewee, the title of the interview if there is one, the website it was published which should be placed in italics, the publisher name, and the date it was published. You also need to mention that you accessed the source via a website which you do by placing the world Web next to year the interview was published, and finally the date you accessed the interview.

For example;

Serpell, Namwali. “'As a young woman, I wasn’t very nice to myself,'” The Guardian. The Guardian, 2019. Web. 22 May. 2019.

It is important to note that if the interview does not have a title, you will need to mention the name of the interviewer. Also, if the name of the publisher is not available, remember to insert the n.p. instead.

For example;

Serpell, Namwali. Interview by Richard Lea. The Guardian. N.p, 2019 web 22 May 2019.