Conducting Research Interviews: A Practical Guide

An interview looks like a conversation, and that is part of its power: participants tell you what matters to them, in their words. It is also why good interviewing is a skill. The researcher has to listen without leading, follow interesting threads without losing the question and protect the person on the other side of the table.

This guide covers how to plan and run research interviews, from designing questions to transcribing and protecting participants. The examples are invented illustrations.

When interviews are the right method

Interviews suit questions about experiences, perceptions, decisions and processes: how people make sense of something, what shaped a choice or what a change felt like. They are less suited to measuring how common something is across a population. Our guide to qualitative vs quantitative research can help you decide whether interviews fit your question.

Types of interview

Semi-structured interviews are the usual choice for dissertations, since they give you coverage and flexibility.

Step 1: Clarify what you need to learn

Start from your research questions. List the topics you need participants to talk about. For a study on how new nurses experience mentoring, topics might include how they were matched with a mentor, what the mentor did, what helped, what got in the way and how it affected their decision to stay. Each interview question should connect to at least one research question.

Step 2: Design the interview guide

An interview guide is a list of questions and prompts, not a script. Good guides:

• Start easy, with a warm-up question about role or background.
• Move from general to specific.
• Use open questions that cannot be answered with yes or no: "Tell me about your first week" rather than "Did you have a good first week?"
• Avoid leading questions that assume an answer: "How did mentoring help you?" assumes it did.
• Include prompts, such as "Can you tell me more?" or "What happened next?"
• End with an open question, such as "Is there anything else you would like to add?"
• Allow time: roughly 8 to 12 questions fit in an hour.

Step 3: Pilot the guide

Try the guide with a friend or colleague, or with one willing participant who is not part of the main sample. Check that questions make sense, that the order flows and that the timing is realistic. Practice your recording setup. Revise the guide before you start the real interviews.

Step 4: Recruit participants

Decide who you need, how many and how to reach them, in line with your sampling plan. Purposive sampling is common: you choose people who have relevant experience. Recruit through gatekeepers, professional networks or open calls, and avoid putting pressure on people to agree. Our guide to sampling methods explained covers purposive and snowball approaches.

Step 5: Consent and ethics

Before any interview, obtain informed consent. Give participants an information sheet that explains:

• The purpose of the study and what taking part involves.
• How long the interview will take.
• That participation is voluntary and they can stop at any time.
• How the interview will be recorded and stored.
• How their identity will be protected.
• Who to contact with questions or concerns.

Get written or recorded consent, and confirm again at the start of the interview. Interviews can touch on sensitive topics, so plan what you will do if a participant becomes upset: offer a break, remind them they can stop and share information about support services. Our guide to research ethics and ethics approval covers the approval process.

Step 6: Prepare logistics

• Choose a quiet, private place, or a reliable online platform.
• Test your recorder, and bring a backup and spare batteries.
• Confirm the time and place in advance.
• Bring copies of the consent form and information sheet.
• Plan for safety, especially if interviewing alone off campus. Tell someone where you are.
• Allow extra time before and after.

Step 7: Conduct the interview

Open well

Greet the participant, thank them, remind them of the purpose and consent, and check they are comfortable. Start the recording once you have permission. Begin with the easy question.

Listen more than you talk

Your job is to draw out the participant's perspective. Resist the urge to fill silences. A pause often invites a more thoughtful answer. Do not interrupt, offer your opinion or correct what they say.

Probe

Probing means following up to get depth and clarity. Useful probes include:

• "Can you give me an example?"
• "What did that mean for you?"
• "How did you feel about that?"
• "What happened then?"
• Repeating a key word with a questioning tone.
• Summarizing and checking: "So it sounds like..."

Stay neutral

Avoid showing approval or disapproval, since that can steer answers. Be warm, but do not agree or disagree with views. If you have personal experience of the topic, keep it out of the conversation.

Manage the flow

Stick roughly to your guide, but follow interesting leads that relate to your questions. If the participant drifts, gently steer back. Keep an eye on time.

Close well

Ask if they want to add anything. Thank them, remind them of what happens next and how to withdraw, and switch off the recording. Sometimes people say important things after the recorder stops, so take notes afterward, with permission.

Online interviews

Video interviews are common and convenient. Check that your platform is approved by your institution, that you have the participant's consent to record and that data are stored securely. Test the connection, and have a backup plan, such as a phone call. Be aware that online settings can reduce rapport and make body language harder to read, so check in more often.

Field notes

Write short notes immediately after each interview: the setting, the mood, key impressions, ideas for analysis and what you might change in the next one. These notes become part of your data and help you reflect on your role.

Recording and transcription

Transcribing gives you text to analyze. Decide the level of detail you need. A verbatim transcript captures words as spoken, while a cleaned transcript removes fillers. For thematic analysis, a careful verbatim transcript is usual. Allow plenty of time: an hour of audio can take several hours to transcribe. If you use automated transcription or a service, check the accuracy, and make sure data protection rules allow it. Give each participant a code, and remove identifying details.

How many interviews

There is no fixed number. Qualitative researchers aim for enough interviews to answer the question in depth. Many student projects use a modest number, and you can judge when new interviews add few new ideas. Your design, population and program expectations all matter, so discuss it with your supervisor, and justify your number in your methodology.

Your role as researcher

In interviews, you are an instrument. Your background, expectations and presence shape what participants say. Reflect on this. Keep a research diary, note your assumptions and consider how your identity, such as your role or relationship with the group, might affect the conversation. Many qualitative projects include a short reflexivity statement. Our guide to the methodology chapter covers how to describe your role.

Analyzing interviews

After transcription, you read the transcripts closely, code segments, group codes into themes and interpret them in light of your questions. Keep your analysis close to the data, and use short quotations to illustrate themes. Check your interpretations against the transcripts, and consider asking participants to confirm your summary where appropriate.

Common mistakes

• Leading questions.
• Too many questions, leaving no room for depth.
• Talking too much.
• No pilot.
• Poor recording setup that loses data.
• Weak consent or confidentiality.
• Not taking field notes.
• Underestimating transcription time.
• Ignoring your own influence.
• Transcribing and analyzing too late, so you cannot adjust your approach.

A quick checklist

• Do my questions map to my research questions?
• Have I piloted the guide?
• Do I have ethics approval and informed consent?
• Have I tested my recording setup?
• Do I plan to listen, probe and stay neutral?
• Do I have a plan for notes, transcription and secure storage?
• Have I reflected on my role?

Final thoughts

A good interview is mostly good listening. Prepare a clear guide, protect your participants, ask open questions and follow what matters to them. Record carefully, write notes straight after and start analysis early. The depth of what people tell you will depend on how safe and respected they feel in the conversation.