MLA (Modern Language Association) style is a widely used citation style for research papers and other academic writing in the humanities, especially in literature and language studies. One important aspect of citing sources in MLA style is the use of in-text citations, which provide brief information about a source within the text of your paper and allow the reader to locate the full citation in the list of works cited at the end of your paper. In this essay, we will focus on how to properly use in-text citations for interviews in MLA style.
When citing an interview in MLA style, you should first consider whether the interview was conducted in person, over the phone, or online. For interviews conducted in person or over the phone, you can use the phrase "personal interview" as the source element in your in-text citation. For example:
(Interviewee's Last Name "Personal Interview").
If you conducted the interview yourself, you can also include your own name as the interviewer in the citation:
(Interviewee's Last Name, personal interview with Author's Last Name).
For online interviews, you should include the URL or other identifying information for the interview as the source element in your in-text citation. For example:
(Interviewee's Last Name, "Title of Interview," Website Name, URL).
In all cases, the in-text citation should be placed within the sentence where you are using information from the interview, and it should be followed by a period.
It is also important to note that, when citing an interview in MLA style, you do not need to include the interviewer's name in the list of works cited at the end of your paper. The in-text citation should be sufficient to allow the reader to locate the full citation in the list of works cited, which should include the interviewee's name, the title of the interview (if available), and the source of the interview.
In conclusion, citing interviews in MLA style requires you to provide brief information about the source within the text of your paper and to include the full citation in the list of works cited at the end of your paper. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that you are accurately and ethically citing the sources you use in your research and writing.