Citing Interviews in BibTeX: A Comprehensive Guide

As a researcher, you will often conduct interviews to gather key insights from experts and stakeholders Properly citing these interviews in your BibTeX bibliography is crucial for academic integrity. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore best practices and examples for citing interviews using BibTeX

Why Interview Citations Matter

Citing interviews may seem tedious, but serves several important purposes:

• It acknowledges the contributions of interviewees who provided valuable information. Failing to cite can be considered plagiarism.

• It allows readers to assess credibility of sources and facts presented.

• It enables readers to locate the original source if needed

• It demonstrates thorough research methodology.

• It adheres to academic conventions and publisher citation requirements.

Depending on context, omitted interview citations could raise ethical issues, impact your credibility, or cause rejection of your paper on technical grounds.

Challenges with Citing Interviews

However, interviews present unique challenges for citation:

• Interviews may be unpublished without a formal title.

• Relevant details like interviewee name, date, location may be unclear or missing.

• Interview content itself could be unpublished.

• Confidentiality concerns may preclude detailed citations.

• Interviews often don’t fit standard BibTeX citation types like @book, @article etc.

Fortunately, BibTeX provides flexible tools to handle unconventional sources like interviews.

Best Practices for Citing Interviews

When citing interviews, aim to provide as many relevant details as possible:

• Interviewee name and credentials – Enables assessing authority and credibility.

• Interview date – Provides temporal context.

• Location and context – Adds setting details.

• Interview format – Specify method like in-person, phone, email.

• Unique identifier – Provides traceability.

But balance details with interviewee confidentiality concerns. Using generic descriptors like “Expert A, B…” may be suitable.

Recommended BibTeX Interview Citation Types

For citations without a formal title, @misc is usually most appropriate:

@misc{expertAinterview,  author = "Expert A",    title  = "Personal Interview",  howpublished = "In-person",  month = "6",  year = "2022",  note = "Company X Headquarters, Boston"}

For published interview transcripts, @article, @book or other standard types can be used:

@book{nixonfrostinterview,  title = "The Nixon Interviews with David Frost",  publisher = "Little, Brown & Co.",  year = "1977"}

Citing Interviews in Text

In text, cite interviews using the interviewee name and date. For anonymity, generic identifiers can be used:

• As noted by Expert A (2022)….

• Evidence suggests (Expert B, 2022)….

• One industry leader stated…(Expert C, 2022)

If citing multiple interviews, use distinguishable labels like Expert A, B. Page numbers are not needed for unpublished interviews.

Common Interview Citation Pitfalls

Some practices for citing interviews to avoid:

• Omitting interview citations entirely in bibliography and text.

• Using @misc without any author, date or details.

• Putting detailed interview notes in bibliography rather than paper text/appendix.

• Using informal citations like “John said” without interview details.

• Citing anonymous interviews without any distinguishable labels like Expert A,B.

Interview Citation Examples

Let’s look at some examples of interview citation in BibTeX across various styles:

APA Style

In-text citation:

(Expert A, personal communication, June 10, 2022)

Reference List entry:

Expert A. (2022, June 10). Personal interview [Personal communication].

MLA Style

In-text citation:

(Expert A, interview by John Doe, 10 June 2022)

Work Cited entry:

Expert A. Interview by John Doe. 10 June 2022.

Chicago Style

Notes and Bibliography citation:

Expert A, interview by John Doe, June 10, 2022.

Bibliography entry:

Expert A. Interview by John Doe. June 10, 2022.

Harvard Style

In-text citation:

(Expert A, pers. comm., June 2022)

Reference List entry:

Expert A (June 2022) Pers. comm. Interviewed by John Doe.

Tips for Conducting Interview Citable Interviews

When conducting interviews, keep citation requirements in mind:

• Clearly record interviewee name, credentials and contact.

• Note date, time, location details.

• Get consent to directly quote and publish views.

• Keep master interview notes file for future reference.

• Use unique labels to distinguish anonymous interviews.

• Request CV or bio for bibliography context.

Proper interview planning and execution ensures you can aptly cite the valuable insights provided while upholding academic integrity.

Citing interviews requires special care to provide key details on unpublished and sometimes confidential sources while respecting conventions. Use BibTeX’s flexible @misc and generic descriptors to properly cite without compromising anonymity. With the best practices and examples provided in this guide, you can confidently integrate interview citations into your next bibliography. Proper attribution demonstrates your ethical approach and enhances your credibility.