Personal Communication

A personal communication is a citation category for information that reached the writer through a private channel: an email, a letter, a phone call, an in-person interview, a private manuscript, a conversation at a conference. Because the reader has no way to consult the source directly, personal communications occupy a special place in citation practice — they are cited but usually not listed in the bibliography.

Different styles handle the case differently. APA gives the source's initials and surname, the words 'personal communication', and the exact date, all inside the text: '(J. Doe, personal communication, March 4, 2024)'. Chicago prefers a note that includes the same information plus, where relevant, the writer's own possession of the record. MLA treats interviews and letters as their own works-cited entries when they were conducted or received for the project.

The ethical layer matters as much as the formal one. Personal communications should be cited only with the source's permission, because publishing a person's private words attributes them publicly. When the source has asked for anonymity, the citation should describe the source's position rather than name them, and the writer should retain the underlying record in case the attribution is later questioned.

Common mistake: relying on personal communications for load-bearing claims. Because readers cannot check the source, personal communications work best as supporting colour — a quotation, a confirming remark, an anecdote — around claims that also rest on published, retrievable evidence.