How to Cite an Interview Written by Someone Else in APA Style

Students often misunderstand the proper format for citing an interview in APA format, which applies to many college papers, as well as articles in the social and behavioral sciences. Most published interviews specify the interviewer as the author; however, that can be misleading, since the primary content was created by the object of the interview, not the reporter. To solve this dilemma, the American Psychological Association (APA) has established specific rules for citing a published interview.

In the text

Step 1

Write the interviewee's surname where you would cite the author in a parenthetical citation (in the body of your paper), even if the published interview cites the interviewer as the author. For example, if S. Smith reported an interview of B. Brown in 2010, then the parenthetical citation should state "(Brown, 2010)." If relevant, you can also mention the interviewer's name in the text, for example, "According to Smith's interview of Brown...". To avoid confusion, however, don't specify the publication date immediately after the interviewer, and cite only the interviewee's name in any parenthetical citations.

Step 2

Cite the year the interview was published, in the parenthetical citation. If you mentioned the interviewee's name in the sentence, then cite the publication date immediately afterward: "According to Brown (2010), ...". If you don't mention the author's name in the sentence, then include both the author and the date in the citation at the end of the sentence, for example, "(Brown, 2010)."

Step 3

Cite the relevant page or paragraph number in the parenthetical citation --- after the author and date, if you quoted from the interview or referred to a specific section. For example, using our previous example, you might write: "(Brown, 2010, p.10)."

In the reference list

Step 1

Cite the interviewee --- not the interviewer --- as the author at the beginning of the reference list citation for the interview. Follow the normal reference format; for example, write: "Jones, A."

Step 2

Include the interview's year of publication, in parentheses, followed by a period. If provided by the original source, include the month and day of the interview.

Step 3

Write the title of the interview in italics, if provided. Add the name of the interviewer, if it's not included in the title: Insert a slash at the end of the title, then write "Interviewer: [name]" (also in italics). For example, if the title is "A New Perspective," and the interviewer's name is H. Brown, then write "A new perspective/Interviewer: H. Brown." If the interview lacks a specific title, then simply write "Interview by H. Brown" (not in italics). Do not add a period yet.

Step 4

Write, in square brackets, the medium of the interview, such as "Tape recording" or "Transcript." Add this to the same sentence as the title, but do not format it in italics. After the concluding bracket, add a period.

Step 5

Add the rest of the source's publication information --- the periodical name, volume, issue and page numbers if it is a magazine or journal. Include the website name and URL if it is an online source; the location and publisher if it is a print source. Or, the archive's project name, publisher and location, if the interview is only available in an archive.

Note

These rules apply only to published or retrievable interviews; if you conducted an interview yourself, then cite it in the text as personal communication, and omit the interview from the reference list.

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