How to Cite an Email
Updated July 2026
An email is a personal communication — and the key rule surprises people: in APA it's cited in the text only, never in the reference list, because your reader can't retrieve it. MLA does list it, but treats it as correspondence, not a public source.
Here's exactly how each style handles email, interviews, DMs, and other private messages.
APA: in-text only
(C. Alvarez, personal communication, March 18, 2026)
APA treats email, private letters, DMs, texts, and personal interviews as personal communications. Cite the communicator's initials and surname, the phrase personal communication, and the exact date — in the text only. There is no reference-list entry, because nothing retrievable exists for a reader to find.
MLA: a Works Cited entry as correspondence
Alvarez, Maria. “Subject Line or Description of the Email.” Received by Your Name, 18 Mar. 2026.
MLA does include personal correspondence in Works Cited: the sender as author, the subject line (or a description) as the title, Received by [you], and the date. In-text, cite the sender's surname: (Alvarez).
Why email isn't in the APA reference list
The reference list exists so readers can find your sources. A private email can't be found by anyone but you and the sender, so listing it would be pointless — hence the in-text-only rule. The same logic covers phone calls, texts, DMs, and unrecorded personal interviews. If the exchange is genuinely important evidence, many writers also keep a copy in an appendix.
When it's not 'personal communication'
Official guidance: APA's personal communications rule and the MLA Style Center. For everything retrievable, the generator handles it normally.
- A listserv or archived mailing-list message with a public URL → cite it like an online posting (it's retrievable).
- A published interview (in a magazine, podcast, video) → cite the published form, not as personal communication.
- An organization's form email / newsletter with a stable link → cite as a web document.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- Do I put an email in my reference list?
- In APA, no — emails are personal communications, cited in the text only: (C. Alvarez, personal communication, March 18, 2026). MLA does include a Works Cited entry treating it as correspondence.
- Why isn't an email in the APA references?
- Because the reference list is for sources a reader can retrieve. A private email can't be retrieved by anyone else, so it's cited in text only.
- How do I cite a text message or DM?
- Same as email — a personal communication. APA: in-text only with the date. MLA: a Works Cited entry describing the message and recipient.
- What about a personal interview I conducted?
- An unrecorded, unpublished interview is a personal communication (APA in-text only; MLA lists it). A published or recorded interview is cited in its published form instead.