Email & Personal Communication Citation Generator

How to Use the Email Citation Generator

1. 1. Choose what you are citing. The generator opens on Manual Entry with the source type set to Personal communication (email, letter). It fits an email, a text message or a letter that was sent to you or to someone else you can name.
2. 2. Fill in the details. Type the sender in Author(s), the subject line in Title and the date the email was sent. In Format / medium type Email to the author, or the recipient's name, as the style needs.
3. 3. Pick a style. Choose APA, MLA, Chicago or another style. The in-text citation appears under the reference.
4. 4. Use the right output for the style. In APA, use the in-text citation only; leave the reference out of your list. In MLA, use the Works Cited entry. In Chicago, use the note.

Does an Email Go in the Reference List?

APA treats an email as a personal communication, because the reader cannot retrieve it. You mention it in the text, with the sender's initials and surname, and give no reference. MLA and Chicago do cite it, since the message can still be shown to a reader who asks.

Email Citation Examples

An email from Jordan Smith (an illustrative sender) to the author.

The generator prints the text of the Format / medium box where the style has a place for it. If you type Email to the author it prints that; MLA's pattern is Received by followed by the recipient's name, so replace the phrase by hand. The in-text citation for APA is already in the shape the style wants.

Common Mistakes

• Listing an email in an APA reference list. APA does not, because the reader cannot retrieve it.
• Using the full first name in APA text. APA gives initials with the surname: J. Smith.
• Dropping the date. The exact date is part of the in-text citation.
• Citing an email you were forwarded without saying so. Name the original sender and add the forwarding in your text.
• Quoting an email without permission. Cite it, and get the sender's consent before quoting private messages in a paper that others will read.

Which Tool Do You Need?

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite an email in APA 7?

You do not put it in the reference list. Cite it in the text with the sender's initials, surname and the exact date: (J. Smith, personal communication, March 4, 2024). In a narrative citation: J. Smith (personal communication, March 4, 2024).

How do I cite an email in MLA 9?

In Works Cited, give the sender, the subject line in quotation marks, Received by and the recipient, and the date: Smith, Jordan. “Re: Question about the Survey Methodology.” Received by Ada Okafor, 4 Mar. 2024. In text: (Smith).

How do I cite an email in Chicago style?

In a note: Jordan Smith, “Re: Question about the Survey Methodology,” email message to author, March 4, 2024. Chicago leaves personal communications out of the bibliography.

Do I need the subject line?

MLA and Chicago use it as the title, in quotation marks. APA does not use it, because the email is not in the reference list.

How do I cite a text message or a direct message?

The same way as an email: sender, the date, and the kind of message, such as text message or direct message. APA treats it as a personal communication.

Do I need permission to cite an email?

Citing an email is not the same as publishing it. For anything beyond a short reference to what was said, ask the sender, and follow your institution's rules on private correspondence.