How to Cite an Interview in Chicago Style
Step-by-step citation format for an interview in Chicago style with examples.
The basics of Chicago for an interview
Chicago style, from the University of Chicago, is common in history and the arts. It is known for its footnotes and endnotes, though it also has an author-date option used in the sciences. When you cite an interview in Chicago, the goal is to give a reader enough detail to find the exact source you used, in the order the style expects.
The tricky part is not the rules themselves but the small choices: what goes in italics, where the year sits, and how to handle missing pieces like an absent author or date. This guide walks through those decisions one at a time so you do not have to guess.
Before you start, gather the details about your source. Chicago follows a predictable structure for an interview, so once you have the pieces, the citation mostly assembles itself.
Build the citation in Chicago
- 1Collect the source details
Open an interview and note down each piece of information you can find: author, title, date, publisher, and any identifier. Writing them out first saves you from scrolling back and forth later.
- 2Put them in the Chicago order
Arrange the pieces in the order Chicago expects. The author comes first, then the date or title depending on the style, then the publishing details.
- 3Format the italics and punctuation
In Chicago, the title of the larger work usually goes in italics, while smaller pieces like article titles stay in plain text. Match the punctuation exactly, since the style is strict about periods and commas.
- 4Add the in-text reference
Inside your paper, point to the source using Chicago's in-text style, which is a raised footnote number in the text that points to a full note at the bottom of the page. Place it right after the idea or quote that came from the source.
- 5Sort and check the final list
Drop the finished entry into your reference list and check that it follows the style's ordering rule. Proofread the author names and dates, since those are the most common source of mistakes.
Chicago often gives a full citation in the first note and a shortened version each time after that, with a bibliography at the end. Keep this in mind as you build each entry, because the list-level rules matter as much as the formatting of any single citation.
What to include for an interview
| Piece of information | What it means and where to find it |
|---|---|
| Interviewee | The person who was interviewed, since their words are the source. |
| Interviewer | The person who conducted the interview, if relevant. |
| Title or description | A short label for the interview if it has no formal title. |
| Date | When the interview took place or was published. |
| Source or medium | Where the interview appeared, such as a podcast, magazine, or in person. |
Common problems and how to handle them
- You conducted the interview yourself and it was never published.
- The interview is part of a larger work, like a TV episode or article.
- Only an audio or video recording exists, with no transcript.
- The interviewee asked to stay anonymous.
- When in doubt, favor the details a reader needs to actually find the source over strict rule-following that omits key facts.
A citation exists so a reader can retrace your steps. If someone could not find an interview from your reference alone, the citation is not finished, no matter how clean the formatting looks.
Why details matter
The AI Humanizer Lab Citation Checker reviews your references against the rules of each major style and flags the fields you missed. Run your list through it before you submit so a missing date or a misplaced period does not cost you points.
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