Citing sources correctly is a cornerstone of academic work, and that means knowing how to handle a source that’s not a book or a website. Believe it or not, being able to cite an email is a real skill that comes in handy. Emails you get are fair game as sources – especially when it comes to interviews or direct questions – and they’re especially useful for getting first-hand information. But because an email is essentially a private message, the way you cite it is a bit different.
TLDR: Most style guides treat an email as “personal communication” because your reader cannot access it. This means the citation rules are different from public sources. For APA style, you only cite it in the text, but for MLA style, it goes in your Works Cited list. Always check which style you need to use.
Why Cite an Email at All?
You’ve got to give credit to anyone who contributes information that isn’t your own, and an email is no exception. This isn’t just about doing the right thing – it’s about doing the right thing. I got a fantastic email from a local historian a while back that ended up being the starting point for my whole project, and not citing that conversation would have been, plain and simple, taking credit for his expertise. When you cite an email, you’re giving credit to the person who helped you, and showing off the scope of your research, even if the source isn’t some dusty old book from the library. This kind of source is essentially a two-way conversation, a direct exchange of information between you and someone else.
Formatting Your Citation
Because emails are considered personal communications, they are handled with a certain oddball flair by citation styles. The main issue is that your reader can’t look up the source, unlike a book or a published magazine article. Here’s how the big three styles handle this unique challenge of personal communication.
A quick tip: Before you cite any personal communication, it’s a powerful courtesy to ask the sender for permission. It respects their privacy and solidifies your ethical standing.
APA, 7th Edition: This style emphasizes that sources in the reference list must be recoverable by the reader. Since an email is not, you only use an in-text citation. You do not create a reference list entry. The text citation includes the sender’s first initial, and second initial if available, and last name, the phrase “personal communication,” and the exact date the mail was sent.
Example: According to the expert, the data was “conclusive for the period” (J. Doe, personal communication, August 14, 2025).
MLA, 9th Edition: The MLA style takes a different path, requiring a Works Cited entry for an email. This provides your reader with as much context as possible for the personal communication. The entry includes the sender’s name, the subject line of the email in quotes, the recipient’s name, and the date. The corresponding in-text citation is just the sender’s last name.
Example Works Cited: Doe, Jane. “Re: Your questions about the project.” Received by John Smith, 14 Aug. 2025.
In-text citation example: (Doe).
Chicago, 17th Edition: Chicago style also treats an email as a personal communication and typically confines the citation to a footnote or endnote. It is rarely included in the bibliography. The note should describe the message, listing the sender, their affiliation if relevant, the fact that it was an email message to the author, and the date.
Example Note: 1. Jane Doe (biologist, River Institute), email message to author, August 14, 2025.
For complex sources, Mastering Citations can be a lifesaver, and a citation generator can help format your entry, but always verify the result. These tools are assistants, not replacements for knowing the rules of personal communications.
Style Comparison
| Style | In Text Citation Format | Reference List / Works Cited Entry? |
|---|---|---|
| APA | (J. Doe, personal communication, date) | No |
| MLA | (Doe) | Yes |
| Chicago | Note: Jane Doe, email to author, date. | No (Generally) |
FAQ
What if the email is part of a long email thread?
You should cite each individual email message that’s got the information you need. Give the specific date of the email in your in-text citation or note. If you’re drawing on multiple emails in a thread, you might need to credit each one separately to keep things clear.
How is this different from a published interview?
The key difference is that an email is private – when you read an interview in a magazine or on a website, you can easily go back and read the whole thing. But an email, by its nature, is just between you and the person who sent it. That’s why the citation rules for a personal email are different – you cite it as the kind of source it was (magazine, newspaper, etc.), not as a personal communication.