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MLA Style Guide 9th Edition

Personal Communications

Referencing Emails, Text Messages, Tweets and Personal Interviews

 

Emails, Tweets, personal interviews

TEMPLATE:

Last, First. Email to the author. Date.
Last, First. Email to recipient. Date.

 

EXAMPLE:

Smith, John. Email to the author. 12 Dec. 2020.
Smith, John. Email to Standards Committee. 12 Dec. 2020.

TEMPLATE:

Last, First. Text message to the author. Date.
Last, First. Text message to First Last. Date.

 

EXAMPLE:

White, Jack. Text message to the author. 12 Dec. 2020.
White, Jack. Text message to Meg White. 12 Dec. 2020.

TEMPLATE:

Last, First. "Full text of tweet in place of a title." Twitter, Date, URL.
Account Name [@twitterhandle]. "Full text of tweet in place of a title." Twitter, Date, URL.

 

EXAMPLE:

Hamill, Mark. "A tweet by any other name would get no "likes."" Twitter, 7 Nov., https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/14578221868845073409?s=20
The Norfolk Shakespeare [@AllanForsyth]. "I keep hearing about all these businesses having a deep clean. What even is a deep clean? Have I just been shallow cleaning all these years, he asks as he wafts a duster in the general direction of some dust." Twitter, 3 Jan. 2021, https://twitter.com/AllanForsyth/status/1345685740047507456?s=20.

 

Note: If the author's account name differs from the online handle you may provide the account name in square brackets after the name. Example:  

Ashton Kutcher [@aplusk]

 

When the account name and handle are similar you can usually omit the handle if you include the URL in your entry. If you do not include the URL then retain the handle as it serves as a useful finding aid.

TEMPLATE:

Last, First. Interview. Conducted by First Last, Date.

 

EXAMPLE:

Trudeau, Justin. Interview. Conducted by Peter Mansbridge, 12 Dec. 2020.

In-text citations must correspond to the first entry in the works cited entry. If there is no page, paragraph or other identifying number, give the author's name only.

See examples below:

In-text Citation Guidelines

Examples                                                                                                           

 

Email or Text Message

 

 

Consider this a paraphrased sentence (Smith).                        

 

Tweet

 

It has been stated that, "consider this a direct quote" (Trump).

 

Personal Interview

 

According to Justin Trudeau, consider this a paraphrased sentence (3). Trudeau also stated that this is also a paraphrased sentence (4).

Remember, in-text citation formatting changes depending on a number of factors.