Email & Personal Communication Citation Generator
Cite an email, letter, text message, or private conversation correctly. One rule matters more than any formatting detail: in APA and Chicago, personal communications are cited in-text only and never get a reference-list entry — because your reader can't retrieve them. MLA is the exception: it does include a Works Cited entry. Free, no sign-up.
Language
How to Cite an Email
- 1. Check which rule applies. Writing in APA or Chicago? A private email is a personal communication: cite it in the text only — (A. Sender, personal communication, July 28, 2026) — and leave it out of the reference list entirely. Writing in MLA? You do add a Works Cited entry.
- 2. Enter the message details. Type the sender's name, a short description (e.g. "Email to the author"), and the exact date it was sent or received. Never include the sender's email address, and consider asking their permission before quoting private correspondence.
- 3. Generate.Pick MLA to get a full Works Cited entry, or APA/Chicago to build the record you'll cite in-text. Copy it, or export to BibTeX, RIS, CSV, or Word.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does an email go in my APA reference list?
- No. APA 7th treats emails, letters, texts, and private conversations as personal communications: because readers cannot retrieve them, they are cited in-text only — (A. Sender, personal communication, July 28, 2026) — and never appear in the reference list. Chicago handles them the same way, citing them in a note or in-text rather than the bibliography.
- How do I cite an email in MLA?
- MLA 9th does include a Works Cited entry for an email: Sender. Email to the author (or the recipient's name). Received day month year. Older MLA guidance used the subject line in quotation marks as the title; MLA 9 prefers the 'Email to ...' description. This is the key difference from APA and Chicago, which keep emails in-text only.
- How do I cite a text message or private chat?
- The same way as an email. In APA and Chicago a text, WhatsApp, Slack, or direct message is a personal communication — cite it in-text with the sender's initials, surname, and the exact date, with no reference entry. In MLA, describe it in the Works Cited: Sender. Text message to the author. Received day month year.
- What if the email is publicly archived, like a mailing list post?
- Then it is retrievable, so the personal-communication rule no longer applies. Cite a message on a public mailing list or forum archive like an online posting, with the author, subject line, list name, date, and URL. The in-text-only rule exists because private messages cannot be checked by your reader — a public archive can.
- Do I need the sender's permission to cite a private email?
- It is good practice, and some institutions require it. Because you are quoting private correspondence, ask the sender before citing, and never include their email address in the citation — only their name and the date of the message.
- Is the email citation generator free?
- Yes. It is 100% free with no sign-up, no ads, and no limits. Your citations are saved locally in your browser and can be exported to BibTeX, RIS, CSV, or Word.