The Lighthouse

Personal communications are unpublished sources and includes e-mails, conversations, lectures, interviews, and tutorials. Do not include personal communications in the reference list because they aren’t published so they can’t be accessed.

So, personal communications are just listed in a special kind of in-text citation. Start with the individual’s initial(s) and surname, the follow it with the words personal communication and the date the communication occurred.

For example:

(A. Brown, personal communication, December 21, 2016).

Where possible it is usually best to refer to an academic source if one is available.

See: http://owll.massey.ac.nz/referencing/apa-in-text-citation.php#personal-communications