Conducting an Interview

1. Determine your purpose, and be sure it relates to your research question and your hypothesis.
2. Set up the interview well in advance. Specify how long it will take, and if you wish to record the session, ask permission to do so.
3. Prepare a written list of factual and open-ended questions. Brainstorming or freewriting can help you come up with questions (6a and b). Leave plenty of space for notes after each question. If the interview proceeds in a direction that seems fruitful, do not feel that you have to ask all of your prepared questions.
4. Record the subject, date, time, and place of the interview.
5. Thank those you interview, either in person or in a letter or email.