Skip to Main Content

APA Citation

A guide to citing sources according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

Personal Communications Citation Notes & Format

IMPORTANT: Because personal communications—including personal, unpublished interviews—are not available to the general public the way published materials are, they are NOT included in the reference list.

They are cited in text. Use the in-text citation format below.

In-Text Citation for Personal Communications/Interviews

Give the initial(s) and surname of the communicator and as exact a date as possible.

Do not use for interviews of research participants as part of your own original research. For information on quoting research participants, see section 8.36 of the APA Publication Manual.

Parenthetical citation: (W. Cornett, personal communication, June 15, 2022)
Narrative citation: W. Cornett (personal communication, June 15, 2022)