Oral history interviews are valuable sources of information that capture the voices and perspectives of people who have witnessed or participated in historical events. However, citing oral history interviews can be tricky, as there are different formats and styles to consider. Here are some general guidelines on how to cite oral history interviews, based on the information from various websites and databases that provide oral history collections.
First, you need to identify the type of oral history interview you are using. Is it a transcript or a recording? Is it part of a larger collection or project? Is it available online or in a physical archive? Depending on these factors, you may need to include different elements in your citation.
Second, you need to choose a citation style that is appropriate for your discipline and audience. Different citation styles have different rules and conventions for formatting and ordering the elements of a citation. Some common citation styles are MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian. You should consult the official manuals or guides of these styles for more details and examples.
Third, you need to follow the general principles of citing sources: give credit to the original author or creator, provide enough information for your readers to locate the source, and be consistent and accurate in your citations.
Here are some examples of how to cite oral history interviews in different formats and styles.
MLA STYLE:
MLA citation formatting is a set of rules and guidelines for citing sources in academic writing. MLA stands for Modern Language Association, which is an organization that promotes the study and teaching of language and literature. MLA citation formatting follows a specific style that includes the author’s name, the title of the source, the publication information, and the page number or URL where the source can be found. MLA citation formatting can be done in two ways: in-text citations and works cited entries. In-text citations are brief references to the source that appear in parentheses within the text of the paper. Works cited entries are full citations that appear at the end of the paper on a separate page. Both types of citations should match and provide enough information for the reader to locate the source.
This format includes the author’s name, the title of the article in quotation marks, the title of the journal in italics, the volume and issue number, the year of publication, and the page range.
An example of the MLA format is as follows
Smith, John. “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.” Journal of Ancient History, vol. 12, no. 3, 2019, pp. 45-67.
APA STYLE:
APA citation format is a set of rules and guidelines for creating in-text citations and references for sources used in academic writing. APA stands for American Psychological Association, which is the organization that developed this style. APA citation format is widely used in the social and behavioral sciences, as well as in other disciplines.
The basic components of APA citation format are:
– Author: The name of the person or group who created the source. For example, Smith, J., Lee, M., & Kim, S.
– Date: The year (and sometimes month and day) when the source was published or made available. For example, (2020) or (2020, June 15).
– Title: The name of the source, such as the title of a book, article, chapter, web page, etc. For example, How to cite sources in APA style.
– Source: The information that identifies where the source can be found, such as the publisher, journal name, volume, issue, page numbers, DOI, URL, etc. For example, New York: Penguin Books or Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(3), 234-245. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000456
Depending on the type and format of the source, different elements and punctuation may be required for APA citation format. For more details and examples, please consult the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition) or visit https://apastyle.apa.org/.
This format includes the author’s last name, first initial. (Year). Title of article. Title of journal, volume number (issue number), page range. DOI or URL.
An example of the APA format is as follows
Smith, J. (2019). The rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Journal of Ancient History, 12(3), 45-67.
Make sure to include a DOI (digital object identifier) if available, or a URL (uniform resource locator) if not. Also, capitalize only the first word of the article title and the journal title, and use italics for the journal title and volume number.
CHICAGO STYLE:
Chicago citing format is a style of referencing sources in academic writing. It is commonly used in the humanities, especially in history, literature, and art. There are two main types of Chicago citing format: notes and bibliography, and author-date.
Notes and bibliography use footnotes or endnotes to cite sources, and a bibliography at the end of the paper to list all the sources. This format is preferred for papers that have a lot of commentary and analysis on the sources.
Author-date uses parenthetical citations in the text to cite sources, and a reference list at the end of the paper to list all the sources. This format is preferred for papers that have a lot of data and statistics from the sources.
Both formats require a title page, page numbers, and a consistent font and spacing. For more details on how to use Chicago citing format, you can consult the official manual or online guides.
If you need to cite a journal article in Chicago format, you should follow this style:
Author’s last name, first name. “Article title.” Journal title volume, issue (year): page range.
An example of the Chicago style format is as follows
Smith, John. “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.” Journal of Ancient History 12, no. 3 (2019): 45-67.
TURABIAN STYLE:
Turabian style is a simplified version of Chicago style with some modifications for the needs of student writers.
According to the Turabian manual, a journal article citation in notes and bibliography style should include the following elements:
– The author’s name in normal order (first name last name)
– The title of the article in quotation marks
– The title of the journal in italics
– The volume number, issue number, year of publication, and page range of the article, separated by commas
– A URL or DOI if the article is online
The first citation of a source should provide full information, while subsequent citations can be shortened.
Here is an example of how to cite your source in a footnote or endnote in the Turabian Style:
John Smith, “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire,” Journal of Ancient History 12, no. 3 (2019): 45-67, https://doi.org/10.1111/1234-5678.00000.
If you cite the same source again, you can use a shortened form:
Smith, “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire,” 52.
At the end of your paper, you should include a bibliography that lists all your sources in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. The format for a journal article citation in the bibliography is similar to the footnote or endnote format, but with some differences:
– The author’s name is inverted (last name first name)
– The title of the article is followed by a period instead of a comma
– The page range is preceded by a colon instead of a comma
– There is no punctuation after the URL or DOI
Here is how your source citation would look like in the bibliography Turabian Style:
Smith, John. “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.” Journal of Ancient History 12, no. 3 (2019): 45-67. https://doi.org/10.1111/1234-5678.00000.
That’s it for this blog, I do hope it has been helpful. Feel free to reach out for any clarification or questions that you may have. As well as any transcription needs that you may have.
Remember always be kind try to stay positive and learn to unwind