To cite an interview, first decide whether it's personal (you conducted it) or published (you read, watched or heard it somewhere). In APA 7, a personal interview is cited only in the text as a personal communication, while a published interview is cited like the article, video or podcast it appeared in. To cite an image or a social media post, credit the creator, give the title (or a description, or the opening words of the post), the date, the platform or site, and the URL.
All people, accounts and organizations in the examples below are fictional.
Interviews
Personal interviews you conducted
APA 7 treats interviews you did yourself, along with emails, private messages and conversations, as personal communications. Your reader can't retrieve them, so there's no reference list entry. Cite in the text only:
(J. Rivera, personal communication, March 3, 2026)
J. Rivera (personal communication, March 3, 2026) described the flood as "the first time the river reached the library steps."
There's one exception. If you interviewed people as research participants, such as for a study or survey, their words are your data. Don't cite them as personal communications; describe your method and present quotes as findings, following your instructor's rules on anonymity.
MLA 9 gives personal interviews a works-cited entry. Start with the person interviewed and describe the interview in place of a title:
Rivera, Jordan. Personal interview. 3 Mar. 2026.
In-text: (Rivera)
Chicago (notes-bibliography) usually cites an unpublished interview in a note, without a bibliography entry:
- Jordan Rivera, interview by the author, March 3, 2026.
Published interviews
A published interview is cited according to where it appeared. An interview in a magazine is cited like a magazine article; an interview on YouTube is cited like a YouTube video.
In APA, the author is the person who wrote or produced the piece (often the interviewer), not necessarily the person interviewed. Name the interviewee in your sentence.
Patel, S. (2025, May 14). A librarian on keeping small-town archives alive. Harbor Review. https://www.example.com/archives-interview
In-text: Librarian Dana Okoro explained the challenge in an interview with Patel (2025).
In MLA, start with the person interviewed and add the interviewer with "Interview by" or "Interview conducted by" after the title.
Okoro, Dana. "A Librarian on Keeping Small-Town Archives Alive." Interview by Samir Patel. Harbor Review, 14 May 2025, www.example.com/archives-interview.
In-text: (Okoro)
Images, photos and figures
Citing an image you discuss
When you refer to an image in your text, cite the page where it's published, not a search engine.
Moreau, L. (2023). Morning fog over the harbor [Photograph]. Open Lens Archive. https://www.example.org/photos/morning-fog
In-text: (Moreau, 2023)
APA puts a bracketed description after the title, such as [Photograph], [Painting], [Infographic] or [Map]. If the image has no title, describe it in square brackets in the title position.
Moreau, Lise. Morning Fog over the Harbor. 2023. Open Lens Archive, www.example.org/photos/morning-fog.
In-text: (Moreau)
In MLA, the image title is italic. If there's no title, write a short description in plain text instead, such as "Photograph of fog over a harbor."
Putting an image in your paper
If you reproduce an image, label it and give its source right there.
- APA: number it as a figure (Figure 1, in bold) with an italic title above it, and a note below that starts with Note. and credits the source, including any license or copyright information.
- MLA: label it "Fig. 1" below the image with a caption. If the caption gives the full source details and you don't cite the image elsewhere, you don't need a separate Works Cited entry.
- Chicago: credit the source in the caption; many instructors also want a note or bibliography entry if you discuss the image in your text.
Note. From Morning Fog Over the Harbor [Photograph], by L. Moreau, 2023, Open Lens Archive (https://www.example.org/photos/morning-fog). CC BY 4.0.
Social media posts
Social media citations follow the same logic in every style: who posted it, what it says, when, where and the link.
APA 7th edition
Author, A. A. [@handle]. (Year, Month Day). Content of the post [Description]. Site Name. URL
- Use the person's or organization's name, followed by the handle in square brackets if there is one.
- Use the post's text as the title, up to the first 20 words, in italics. Keep hashtags, links and emoji as they appear if you can.
- Add a bracketed description after the text: the type of media, such as [Photograph] or [Video], and for some platforms the type of post, such as [Status update] for a Facebook post with no media type to describe.
Riverbend Library [@riverbendlib]. (2026, March 3). The river reached our front steps this morning. All branches are closed until Thursday [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.example.com/riverbendlib/post123
In-text: (Riverbend Library, 2026)
MLA 9th edition
In MLA, use the account holder's name, with the handle in square brackets if both are known, or the handle alone if that's all you have. Quote the full text of a short post as its title.
Riverbend Library [@riverbendlib]. "The river reached our front steps this morning. All branches are closed until Thursday." Instagram, 3 Mar. 2026, www.example.com/riverbendlib/post123.
In-text: (Riverbend Library)
For a post with no text, use a short description in plain text, such as "Photo of the flooded library entrance."
Chicago style (notes-bibliography)
Chicago usually cites social media posts in a note, quoting the opening words of the post:
- Riverbend Library (@riverbendlib), "The river reached our front steps this morning," Instagram, March 3, 2026, https://www.example.com/riverbendlib/post123.
Posts can be edited or deleted. Take a screenshot of anything you cite, in case your instructor wants to see it later.
Common mistakes
- Putting an APA personal communication in the reference list. It belongs in the text only.
- Citing Google Images, Pinterest or a reposting account instead of the original creator and page.
- Shortening a post in a way that changes its meaning. Quote it as written, including its spelling.
- Citing a viral claim as fact. A post shows what someone said, not that it's true. Check facts against a reliable source.
For the bigger picture on choosing a style, see APA vs. MLA vs. Chicago.
Key takeaways
- Personal interviews: APA in-text only; MLA gets a works-cited entry; Chicago usually a note.
- Published interviews are cited by the format they appeared in.
- Images: cite the creator and the page where the image is published; add [Photograph] or similar in APA.
- Social posts: name and handle, post text (up to 20 words in APA), platform, date, URL.
