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

Interviews and personal communications
Author-date style: citing specific types of sources
Source citation

19.6.1 Interviews

To cite an unpublished interview (including one you have conducted yourself), begin a reference list entry with the name of the person interviewed, followed by the date and the name of the interviewer. Also include the place and specific day of the interview (if known) and the location of any recordings or transcripts (if available). (You can repeat the year with the month and day in the reference list entry to avoid any confusion regarding the exact date.)

R:

✵ Shields, David. 2016. Interview by author. Seattle. July 22, 2016.

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

In parenthetical citations, use the name of the person interviewed, not that of the interviewer.

P:

✵ (Shields 2016)

✵ (Spock 1974)

If you cannot reveal the name of the person interviewed, use only a parenthetical citation or weave the information into the text; you do not need to include the interview in your reference list. Explain the absence of a name (“All interviews were confidential; the names of interviewees are withheld by mutual agreement”) in a footnote or a preface.

P:

✵ (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.

R.

✵ Snowden, Edward. 2015. “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/.

P:

✵ (Snowden 2015)

For more examples, see 19.3 (magazine), 19.4.2 (newspaper), 19.10.3.6 (video). See also 22.3.2.1.

19.6.2 Personal Communications

Cite conversations, letters, email or text messages, and direct or private messages shared through social media only in parenthetical citations. The key elements, which should be separated with commas, are the name of the other person, the date, and the type of communication. In many cases you may be able to include some or all of this information in the text. Omit email addresses. To cite content shared publicly through social media, see 19.5.3; for online forums and mailing lists, see 19.5.4. To cite letters in published collections, see 19.1.9.4. For items in manuscript collections, see 19.7.4.

P:

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

✵ 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), . . .