Oxford Referencing: Personal communications

Basic format to reference personal communications

Format for footnotes for personal communications:

1 A. Author, 'Title of Personal Communication' [format], day month year, Name of Collection, Name of Archive, Location of Archive, Box or Series Number.

Example:

1 S. Alexander, 'Peace March in Melbourne' [letter to W.R. Gibson], 1 November 1911, Professor W.R. Gibson Collection, University of Melbourne Archives, Melbourne, VIC, Box 2/1/1. 

  • Personal communications may include primary sources such as letters, memos, emails, tweets, faxes, interviews, informal conversations and telephone calls.
  • Unpublished interviews or personal communications are only cited in footnotes; they are not listed in Bibliographies. eg: Emails, telephone calls, informal conversations.
  • As a rule in your essay use only print or electronic communications that are easily accessible to the reader.

Referencing Personal Communications: Published Material Examples

 

Material Type Footnote Example Reference List Example
Interview

1 J. Maloney, 'Recollections of Canberra' [interviewed by John Ferrell], 12 August 1991, John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library, Curtin University, Perth, WA, JCMPL00897/3.

The number at the end of the citation is the Library or Archive series or box number.

Maloney, J., 'Recollections of Canberra' [interviewed by John Ferrell], 12 August 1991, John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library, Curtin University, Perth, WA, JCMPL00897/3.
Letter or Correspondence

1 S. Alexander, 'Peace March in Melbourne' [letter to W.R. Gibson], 1 November 1911, Professor W.R. Gibson Collection, University of Melbourne Archives, Melbourne, VIC, Box 2/1/1.

Use this format for correspondence accessible from Archives. Add the URL and date accessed if it is available online.

Alexander, S., 'Peace March in Melbourne' [letter to W.R. Gibson], 1 November 1911, Professor W.R. Gibson Collection, University of Melbourne Archives, Melbourne, VIC, Box 2/1/1.

 


.

Referencing Personal Communications: Unpublished Material Examples

 

Material Type

 Footnote Example Reference List Example

 Email

 1 A. King, 'History Report' [email to J. Price], 18 October 2018, <Alan.King@gmail.com>, (accessed 7 November 2018).  You do not need to include an entry in   the reference list.
Generative AI     

1 Output from ChatGPT, OpenAI. Prompt: “What was Michelangelo best known for.” 10 March 2023.

Refer Generative AI section for further discussion.

  You do not need to include an entry in   the reference list.


.