Interviews are primary sources — they capture someone's words, perspectives, and experiences directly. MLA 9th edition handles three types of interviews: published (in print or online), broadcast (TV, radio, podcast), and personal (interviews you conducted yourself). The citation format changes depending on how the interview was published and who the "author" is.
Whether you're citing a literary interview from The Paris Review, a political interview from a podcast, or a conversation you conducted yourself for a research project, MLA provides a consistent format. The key decision is always: how was the interview published — or was it not published at all?
Published Interview — In a Book or Magazine
When an interview appears in a print publication, the interviewee is the author and the interview title is the work. The publication is the container.
Interview in a Magazine or Journal
Works Cited:
Morrison, Toni. "The Art of Fiction No. 134." Interview by Elissa Schappell. The Paris Review, no. 128, 1993, pp. 82–125.
In-text citation:
(Morrison 94)
What to notice:
- Morrison (the interviewee) is the author
- The interview title is in quotation marks
- "Interview by Elissa Schappell" credits the interviewer but doesn't make them the author
- The Paris Review is the container
Interview in a Book
If the interview appears as a chapter in a collected volume:
Works Cited:
Baldwin, James. "Notes for a Hypothetical Novel." Interview by Studs Terkel. James Baldwin: The Last Interview and Other Conversations, Melville House, 2014, pp. 3–22.
In-text citation:
(Baldwin 10)
Interview on a Website
Works Cited:
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Her New Novel and the Importance of Nuance." Interview by Kira Goldenberg. Literary Hub, 14 Mar. 2025, https://lithub.com/adichie-interview-2025.
In-text citation:
(Adichie)
Broadcast Interview — TV, Radio, Podcast
For interviews that aired on television, radio, or in a podcast episode, the interviewee remains the author and the show is the container.
Television Interview
Works Cited:
Obama, Barack. Interview by David Letterman. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, season 1, episode 1, Netflix, 12 Jan. 2018.
In-text citation:
(Obama)
Radio Interview
Works Cited:
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Interview by Terry Gross. "Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Water Dancer." Fresh Air, NPR, 24 Sept. 2019.
In-text citation:
(Coates)
What to notice:
- The segment title ("Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Water Dancer") goes in quotation marks
- The show name (Fresh Air) is italicized as the container
- The network (NPR) is the publisher
Podcast Interview
Works Cited:
Gay, Roxane. Interview by Brené Brown. "Roxane Gay on Living in Your Body." Unlocking Us, Spotify, 11 Nov. 2024, https://open.spotify.com/episode/abc123.
In-text citation:
(Gay)
If the podcast has a season and episode number, include them:
Gay, Roxane. Interview by Brené Brown. "Roxane Gay on Living in Your Body." Unlocking Us, season 3, episode 14, Spotify, 11 Nov. 2024.
Personal Interview
A personal interview is one you conducted yourself — in person, by phone, by email, or over video chat. Since it's not published, the citation format is simpler.
Basic Format
Interviewee Last, First. Personal interview. Day Month Year.
In-Person Interview
Works Cited:
Nakamura, Kenji. Personal interview. 3 Mar. 2026.
In-text citation:
(Nakamura)
Telephone Interview
Works Cited:
Okonkwo, Adaeze. Telephone interview. 18 Feb. 2026.
In-text citation:
(Okonkwo)
Email Interview
Works Cited:
Torres, Lucia. Email interview. 22 Jan. 2026.
In-text citation:
(Torres)
Video Call Interview (Zoom, Teams, etc.)
Works Cited:
Kim, Jihye. Zoom interview. 5 Mar. 2026.
In-text citation:
(Kim)
Who Is the "Author" of an Interview?
The interviewee is always the author — the person whose ideas and words are the subject of the interview. The interviewer receives credit (with "Interview by"), but they are not the author.
There is one exception: if your paper's focus is on the interviewer's technique rather than the content of the interviewee's answers, you might list the interviewer as the author and the interviewee after "Interview with":
Works Cited:
Gross, Terry. "Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Water Dancer." Interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates. Fresh Air, NPR, 24 Sept. 2019.
In-text citation:
(Gross)
This is unusual — most of the time, the interviewee is the author. Use this approach only when your analysis genuinely centers on the interviewer.
In-Text Citation Quick Reference
| Interview Type | Works Cited Author | In-Text Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Magazine/journal | Morrison, Toni. | (Morrison 94) |
| Book (collected) | Baldwin, James. | (Baldwin 10) |
| Website | Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. | (Adichie) |
| Television | Obama, Barack. | (Obama) |
| Radio | Coates, Ta-Nehisi. | (Coates) |
| Podcast | Gay, Roxane. | (Gay) |
| Personal (in-person) | Nakamura, Kenji. | (Nakamura) |
| Telephone | Okonkwo, Adaeze. | (Okonkwo) |
| Torres, Lucia. | (Torres) |
Common Mistakes
- Listing the interviewer as the author. Unless your paper focuses on the interviewer's technique, the interviewee is the author.
- Omitting "Interview by" for published interviews. This credit helps the reader understand the source. Include it after the title.
- Treating personal interviews like published sources. Personal interviews have no publisher, no container, and no URL — just the interviewee's name, the interview type, and the date.
- Forgetting to include personal interviews on the Works Cited page. Even though they're unpublished, personal interviews do appear on the Works Cited page in MLA.
- Not specifying the interview type. For personal interviews, distinguish between "Personal interview," "Telephone interview," "Email interview," and "Zoom interview" — this tells the reader how the conversation took place.
What's Next
Now that you know how to cite interviews, explore related guides:
- How to Cite a Video in MLA Format — for broadcast interviews accessed as video content
- MLA Works Cited Page — the complete guide to building Works Cited entries
Archivero can help you manage interview sources — save an interview page or podcast episode to your library, and the Works Cited entry is generated automatically with the interviewee, title, and publication details.
