Chicago style interview citation is a format for citing interviews in Chicago notes and bibliography style. It’s especially useful for academic writing and professional writing as it provides a standardized format for citing interviews, ensuring that the sources are appropriately credited, and that the work is easily accessible and verifiable.
Chicago Style Interview Citation – In a Nutshell
- Chicago style interview citation is a method of citing an interview in a research paper or project using the Chicago Manual of Style guidelines.
- The format for citing an interview in Chicago style interview citation includes the interviewee’s name, interview date, and location.
- The full citation for a Chicago style interview citation is listed in the bibliography or reference list at the end of the paper.
Definition: Chicago Style interview citation
Chicago style interview citation refers to the guidelines for referencing interviews in the bibliography of a paper or research project using the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) notes and bibliography style.
This citation style requires including details about the interviewee, the interviewer, and the interview date in the bibliography, as well as referencing the interview within the text by including the interviewee’s last name, the interview date, and, if applicable, a page number.
Chicago Style interview citation: Unpublished interview
Chicago style interview citation guidelines for referencing unpublished interviews in the bibliography of a paper or research project are similar to those for published interviews but with a few key differences.
Examples of unpublished interviews include those conducted for a thesis or dissertation or for personal research that will not be published in any form.
It’s important to note that when formatting an unpublished interview in a Chicago style interview citation, the word “unpublished” should be included in the citation to indicate that the interview is not available to the public.
Interview conducted by oneself
When citing an interview conducted by oneself, the Chicago style interview citation should include the interviewee’s name, location and date of interview, and interviewer’s name.
Example 1
John Smith, interview by Jane Doe, Chicago, IL, January 1, 2020.
If the interviewee wishes to remain anonymous, the citation should include the term “anonymous” in place of the interviewee’s name.
Example 2
Anonymous, interview by Jane Doe, Chicago, IL, January 1, 2020.
In subsequent footnotes, the citation can be shortened to just the interviewee’s last name and the date:
| Example 1 (shortened) | Smith, January 1, 2020. |
| Example 2 (shortened) | Anonymous, January 1, 2020. |
Interview from an archive
When citing an interview from an archive, the Chicago style citation should include the name of the archive, the location and date of the interview, and the interviewer’s name. For example, if citing an interview from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, conducted by John Smith on January 1, 2000, with interviewee Jane Doe, the citation would be:
| Chicago style interview citation from an archive |
| Smith, John. (2000). "Jane Doe Oral History Interview." Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C. |
| Chicago style interview citation from an archive (shortened) |
| Smith, John. (2000). "Jane Doe Oral History Interview." Smithsonian National Museum of American History. |
It’s important to note that the Chicago style interview citation format may vary depending on the source, so it is always best to consult the Chicago Manual of Style for specific guidelines.
Chicago Style interview citation: Published interview
The format for citing a published interview in Chicago style interview citation will vary depending on the source.
Interview from a journal
Chicago style interview citation for journal interviews depends on the type of citation (e.g., bibliography, full note, short note).
| Citation | Format | Example |
| Chicago Bibliography | Interviewee Last name, First name. "Article Title." Interview by Interviewer First Name Last Name. Journal Volume, no. Issue (Month or Season Year): Page range. DOI or URL. | Smith, John. "An Interview with Jane Doe." Interview by Tom Richards. Journal of Interviews 44, no. 2 ( April 2020): 45-50. https://doi.org/10.2406/1208473. |
| Full Note | Interviewee First name Last name, "Article Title," Interview by Interviewer First Name Last Name, Journal Volume, no. Issue (Month or Season Year): Page range. DOI or URL. | John Smith, "An Interview with Jane Doe," Interview by Tom Richards, Journal of Interviews 44, no. 2 (April 2020): 45-50. https://doi.org/10.2406/1208473. |
| Short Note | Interviewee Last name, "Shortened Journal Title," page number(s). | Smith, “Interview with Jane Doe," 45-50. |
Interview from a video
An interview from a video in Chicago style interview citation refers to an interview conducted and recorded on video and published or distributed later.
| Citation | Format | Example |
| Chicago Bibliography | Interviewee Last name, First name. "Video Title." Interview by Interviewer First Name Last Name. Month Day, Year. Video, Video length. URL. | Smith, John. "An Interview with Jane Doe: The Art of Interviews." Interview by Tom Richards. April 15, 2020. Video, 23:15. https://youtu.be/xxxxx. |
| Full Note | Interviewee First name Last name, "Video Title," Interview by Interviewer First Name Last Name, Month Day, Year, video, Video length, URL. | John Smith, "An Interview with Jane Doe: The Art of Interviews," Interview by Tom Richards, April 15, 2020, video, 23:15, https://youtu.be/xxxxx. |
| Short Note | Interviewee Last name, "Shortened Video Title," Timestamp(s). | Smith, “Interview with Jane Doe," 5:48. |
Interview from a magazine
The format for citing an interview from a magazine in Chicago style interview citation is similar to that of a journal, with some slight variations.
| Citation | Format | Example |
| Chicago Bibliography | Interviewee Last name, First name. "Article Title." Interview by Interviewer First Name Last Name. Magazine, Month Day, Year. URL. | Smith, John. "An Interview with Jane Doe: The Art of Interviews." Interview by Tom Richards. New Yorker, April 15, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/xxxxx. |
| Full Note | Interviewee First name Last name, "Article Title," Interview by Interviewer First Name Last Name, Magazine, Month Day, Year, URL. | John Smith, "An Interview with Jane Doe: The Art of Interviews," Interview by Tom Richards, New Yorker, April 15, 2020, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/xxxxx. |
| Short Note | Interviewee Last name, "Shortened Article Title," page number(s). | Smith, “Interview with Jane Doe," 43-53. |
Chicago Style Interview Citation: Author-date Style
In author-date style, published interviews are cited in the reference list by the interviewer’s name and the interview date. In contrast, unpublished interviews are cited in the text by the interviewee’s name and the interview’s date.
Interviews not named in the reference list are those in which the interviewee’s name cannot be stated, such as in cases where the interviewee requested anonymity.
Author-date style:
| Chicago author-date format |
| (Interviewee's Last name, Date of Interview) |
Example
(Smith, 2020)
The Chicago style interview citation format is consistent across different sources as it follows the same principle:
- Providing the last name of the interviewee
- Including the date of the interview, as seen in the Chicago-author date style.
However, reference entry and citation aren’t necessary for these interviews, as they are not considered secondary sources.
FAQs
It’s a method of citing interviews in a paper or other written work using the guidelines set forth by the Chicago Manual of Style.
Yes, you can use a transcription of an interview in your paper. However, you still need to include the interviewee’s name, date, and type of interview.
No, the interview location is not usually included in a Chicago style interview citation.
Yes, Chicago style interview citations can be used to cite interviews in research papers.
The format for citing a published interview in Chicago style will vary depending on the source. For example, interviews published in a journal will be cited differently than those found in a video or magazine.
