Citing sources is a crucial part of academic writing, as it helps to ensure that the information presented in a paper is well-researched and accurate. One of the most commonly used citation styles is the American Psychological Association (APA) format. If you’re working on a paper that requires you to cite an interview, you might be unsure about how to do this correctly in APA format. In this article, we will discuss three ways to cite an interview in APA style: citing personal communications, citing published interviews, and citing recorded interviews.

1.Citing Personal Communications

A personal communication refers to any interview or conversation you have had with someone else – whether face-to-face, over the phone, or through email. Since these conversations are not published or retrievable by others, they fall under the category of personal communications and should not appear in the reference list. However, you can still mention them within your text.

To cite a personal communication in APA format, include the following elements:

– Interviewee’s initials and last name

– The phrase “personal communication”

– The date of the interview

For example: (J.Doe, personal communication, June 15, 2021)

2.Citing Published Interviews

If you’re citing an interview that has been published in a book, magazine, newspaper or academic journal, follow the standard APA reference guidelines for the source type. Here’s what you need to include for each source type:

For Books:

– Authors’ initials and last names

– Publication year (in parentheses)

– Book title

– City and state of publication

– Publisher

For Magazine/Newspapers:

– Authors’ initials and last names

– Publication date (in parentheses)

– Article title

– Magazine/newspaper title

– Page numbers

For Journals:

– Authors’ initials and last names

– Publication year (in parentheses)

– Article title

– Journal title

– Volume number (in italics)

– Issue number (if applicable, in parentheses)

– Page numbers

3.Citing Recorded Interviews

Sometimes you may wish to cite an interview that has been recorded, such as on a podcast, radio show or television program. In this case, you will need to create an in-text citation as well as a reference list entry following the guidelines for audiovisual materials.

Here are the key elements to include in your citation:

– Interviewer’s initials and last name

– Publication year (in parentheses)

– Description of interview (in brackets)

– Medium format (e.g., Podcast, Radio program, Television series episode)

– Production company

– URL (if available)

For example:

Smith, J.C. (Producer). (2021). The science of happiness [Television series episode]. In Z. Brownstein (Executive Producer), The Mindful Life. Idea Productions.

In conclusion, when citing interviews in APA style, it’s essential to determine whether you’re dealing with personal communication, a published interview or a recorded interview. Follow the specific guidelines for each category to ensure your citations are accurate and complete.