Personal communications should be cited in the text of your work and not included in the list of references. It is recommended you get permission from the source/author of your personal communication. If you are submitting your work for publication, documentation should be provided to support personal communication, and oral communication should be supported in writing.
In the text of your work, include:
- Date of communication. Use the format: Month DD, YYYY
- Type of communication e.g. letter, email, phone conversation etc.
- Provide the person's highest academic degree(s). If the person's affiliation would help establish credibility or authority, that may be included too.
Examples
According to a letter in August 2015 from I. Jones, (MD, Assoc. Prof., Dept of Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh)...
In a conversation with A. B. Smith, PhD (April 17 2022)...
Similar clinical experiences have been noted by X. Y. Zed, BAppSc(Physio) (email, August 30, 2023).
According to a representative of the manufacturer (H. R. Smith, PhD, GlaxoSmithKline, phone conversation, May 1, 2015)...