Interviews and personal communications - Notes-bibliography style: citing specific types of sources - Source citation

A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, Ninth edition - Kate L. Turabian 2018

Interviews and personal communications
Notes-bibliography style: citing specific types of sources
Source citation

17.6.1 Interviews

Unpublished interviews (including those you have conducted yourself) should usually be cited only in notes. Include a specific interview in your bibliography only if it is critical to your argument or frequently cited. Begin the note with the names of the person interviewed and the interviewer; also include the place and date of the interview (if known) and the location of any recordings or transcripts (if available). Notice the form for a shortened note, which differs from the usual pattern (see 16.4.1).

N:

1. 1. David Shields, interview by author, Seattle, July 22, 2016.

2. 2. Benjamin Spock, interview by Milton J. E. Senn, November 20, 1974, interview 67A, transcript, Senn Oral History Collection, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

3. 3. Shields, interview; Spock, interview.

If you cannot reveal the name of the person interviewed, cite it in a form appropriate to the context. Explain the absence of a name (“All interviews were confidential; the names of interviewees are withheld by mutual agreement”) in a note or a preface.

N:

1. 4. Interview with a home health aide, July 31, 2017.

Cite a published interview according to the rules for that type of publication, with one difference: the interviewee is treated as author. If the identity of the interviewee is clear from the title, it need not be repeated in a note but should be listed in a bibliography.

N.

1. 5. “Edward Snowden Explains How to Reclaim Your Privacy,” interview by Micah Lee, The Intercept, November 12, 2015, https://theintercept.com/2015/11/12/edward-snowden-explains-how-to-reclaim-your-privacy/.

B.

✵ Snowden, Edward. “Edward Snowden Explains How to Reclaim Your Privacy.” Interview by Micah Lee. The Intercept, November 12, 2015. https://theintercept.com/2015/11/12/edward-snowden-explains-how-to-reclaim-your-privacy/.

For more examples, see 17.3 (magazine), 17.4.2 (newspaper), 17.10.3.6 (video). See also 22.3.2.1.

17.6.2 Personal Communications

Cite conversations, letters, email or text messages, and direct or private messages shared through social media only in notes. The key elements are the name of the other person, the type of communication, and the date of the communication. In many cases, you may be able to use a parenthetical note (see 16.4.3) or include some or all of this information in the text. Omit email addresses. To cite content shared publicly through social media, see 17.5.3; for online forums and mailing lists, see 17.5.4. To cite letters in published collections, see 17.1.9. For items in manuscript collections, see 17.7.4.

In a conversation with me on March 1, 2017, Carla C. Ramirez confirmed that . . .

A copy of the postcard, postmarked San Diego, March 7, 1965 (Emma Fenton to author, Instagram direct message, March 25, 2017), . . .

N:

1. 1. Roland J. Zuckerman, email message to author, June 1, 2017.