Interviewing

Interviewing is an important aspect of many types of research. It involves conducting an interview—a purposeful conversation—between two people (the interviewer and the interviewee) to collect data on some particular issue. The person asking the questions is the interviewer, whereas the person providing the answers is the interviewee (i.e., respondent). Interviewing is used in both quantitative and qualitative research and spans a wide continuum of forms, moving from totally structured to totally unstructured. It can use a range of techniques including face-to-face (in-person), telephone, videophone, and e-mail. Interviewing involves several steps, namely, determining the interviewees, preparing for the interview, and conducting the interview.