This document provides guidance on conducting different types of interviews for research purposes. It discusses unstructured, semi-structured, and structured interviews. For semi-structured and structured interviews, it emphasizes the importance of developing an interview schedule or protocol to ensure consistency across interviews. The document also provides tips for effectively conducting interviews, such as creating rapport with interviewees, asking open-ended follow up questions, recording the interview, and thanking participants.

1. D R C H R I S T I N E C O O M B E
H C T D U B A I , M E N ’ S C A M P U S
Research Methods: Conducting
Interviews

2. Using interviews in research
 There are many types of interviews
 The most common are:
 Unstructured
 Semi-structured
 Structured

3. Unstructured interviews
 The participant is free to talk about what he or she
feels is important.
 The researcher provides little or no directional
influence during the interview.
 Unstructured interviews are only used in qualitative
research.
 Some feel that this type of interview is the easiest to
conduct but this is not true.
 Why?

4. How to conduct an unstructured interview
 First, the researcher must create rapport with the
interviewee
 Interviewee must trust the researcher so he/she can reveal
information during the interview
 Anonymity & confidentiality
 During the interview, the researcher must
 remain quiet
 stay alert
 recognize important information
 probe for more detail
 get participants back on track if they go on topic

5. Semi-structured interviews
 This is the most common type of interview used in
qualitative research.
 In this type of interview, the researcher wants to
know specific information which can be compared
and contrasted with information gained in other
interviews.
 The same questions need to be asked in each
interview--structure.
 Flexibility is also important so new info can come
out—semi.

6. How to conduct a semi-structured interview
 Researcher must produce an interview schedule or
protocol
 A list of questions to ask or topics to discuss
 This is taken to each interview to ensure the same content is
discussed

7. Structured interviews
 Frequently used in market research
 Interviewer asks a set list of questions and ticks off
answers
 This type of interview is highly structured
 Structured interviews are used in quantitative
research
 They can be conducted:
 Online
 Face to face
 Over the telephone

8. How to conduct interviews
 Methods of recording
 Audio recording
 Visual recording
 Note-taking
 Box ticking
 What are the advantages & disadvantages of each?

9. Audio recording
 Advantages
 Researchers are able to:
 concentrate on what interviewee is saying
 maintain eye contact
 Have a complete record of the interview for analysis
 extract useful quotations for report
 Disadvantages
 Technology is not always our friend
 Rs can become complacent—not listen very carefully
 Some people are nervous when being recorded

10. Visual recording
 Advantages
 Produces the most comprehensive recording of the interview
 Gives a permanent record of what is said
 Includes a record of body language, facial expressions &
interaction
 Disadvantages
 Technology is not always our friend
 Method can be expensive
 Equipment is difficult to transport
 Some interviewees can be nervous
 Could be culturally inappropriate

11. Note-taking
 Can be done via paper/pencil or on a laptop
 Advantages
 Don’t have to rely on technology which could fail
 Is the cheapest method of data recording
 Interviewees feel good if you are seen to write something down
 Disadvantages
 Cannot maintain eye contact all the time
 Can be hard to concentrate on what is being said and write at
the same time
 More tiring than the other types
 Will not have quotations to use for the report

12. Box-ticking
 Advantages
 Simple to use
 Easy to analyze
 Easy to compare information with that obtained from other
interviews
 Disadvantages
 Inflexible—no scope for additional info
 Forces interviewees to answer in a certain way

13. Tips for using recording equipment
 Make sure there is enough space (memory, disk or
tape) to record everything you need
 Check that equipment is fully charged & in working
condition
 Make sure the venue is free from background noise
 Make sure there is a place to hold the equipment
 Make sure the microphone is strong enough to pick
up all voices in an interview
 Make sure you are able to download files to your PC
 Always have a back up plan

14. Developing an interview schedule/protocol
 For most types of interviews you must develop an
interview schedule/protocol
 For structured interviews
 A list of Qs that are asked in the same order and format to each
participant
 For semi-structured interviews
 It can be in the form of a list of questions to ask or topics to
cover
 Questions or topics? Which is better?
 For new researchers, a list of Qs is preferable
 A list of topics to cover is seen as being more flexible.

15. How to develop an interview schedule/protocol
 Brainstorm your research topic
 Work through your list carefully, getting rid of
irrelevant topics and grouping similar topics together
 Order topics into a logical sequence
 Leave sensitive or controversial issues to the end
 Ask about experience and/or behavior first
 Ask about opinions and feelings after
 Move from general to specific
 Think of Qs relating to each area

16. Your questions
 Write open rather than close-ended Qs
 Are you happy in life?
 What are some of the reasons for your happiness?
 Keep questions neutral, short and to the point
 Why is being happy important to you?
 Use language which will be understood
 Avoid leading questions
 How often do you go to the movies?
 Assumes that person likes movies and go to them
 Avoid jargon and double barrelled questions
 What is wrong with the education system today and what can we do
about it?

17. At the start of the interview
 Start your recording device
 Introduce yourself with something like the following:
 My name is ______________ and I’m a student in
LSS 2533 Research Methods. I’d like to ask you
some questions about healthy choices in eating and
exercise habits. I will be recording this interview as
part of my project on semi-structured interviews.
Only my teacher, Dr Christine Coombe, will be
listening to this recording. Thanks in advance for
your thoughtful responses and your time.

18. At the start of the interview
 Don’t forget to collect demographic information
 “Before we start our interview on __________, I’d
like to get some information from you. Can you tell
me a bit about yourself?”
 What types of demographic information might you
collect for your interviewee?
 How will you record it?

19. During the interview
 Ask questions, listen carefully to responses
 Don’t be afraid to ask follow up questions
 How can we do this?
 That’s interesting; can you explain that in more detail…..
 I’m not quite sure I understand. You were saying?
 Can you elaborate a little more?
 Could you clarify that?
 Could you expand upon that a little?
 When you say ‘……..’, what do you mean by that?
 Don’t be afraid to pause

20. During the interview
 Rs must establish rapport so participants will feel
comfortable sharing personal information
 How can this be done?
 Treat interviewees with respect
 Arrive on time
 Make small talk to decrease nervousness
 Accept tea/coffee
 Don’t rush into interview unless interviewee wants you to
 Think about your appearance and how you dress
 Think about your body language
 Make and maintain eye contact during the interview
 Don’t invade the space of the interviewee--proxemics

21. Completing the interview
 Make sure you stick to the time allocated unless the
interviewee wants to extend the time
 Thank your interviewee and leave your contact
details
 This concludes our interview. Thank you for lending
us your time, input and presence.