Tips and Tricks for Conducting and Transcribing Semi-Structured Interviews

Conducting your first semi-structured interview can be nerve-wracking. Below are some tips and tricks to make the entire process smoother — from scheduling and setting up the interview to transcribing the output. These tips were written as general guidance for in person interviews but much of the information is transferrable to those conducted virtually.

ORGANIZING

When arranging a time to talk to a potential participant, make sure there is plenty of time to conduct the interview so the participant feels at ease. Schedule around their time. Make sure they don’t have a meeting to get to or a bus to catch. Flexibility is key here so the interview is relaxed and not rushed. Make every effort to conduct the interview in person; rapport can be easier to establish face-to-face.

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In addition to ensuring that you and your interviewee have enough time to talk freely, arrange a quiet place for you both to talk. This will help the participant feel at ease when discussing personal issues and will ensure that your audio recording does not pick up background noise. If you are conducting the interview online, ask ahead of time if they have a private place to chat. If they don’t, consider local resources like renting a study room at a public library or on a university campus.

Before you go to an (in person) interview make sure that you have the following equipment with you:

• Audio recording device (and backup recorder if possible)
• Consent form
• Information sheet
• Topic guide
• Notepad (optional)
• Beverages (optional)

INTRODUCTION AND INFORMED CONSENT

Informed consent is a process, not a document. Discuss the information with the participant and ask questions to gauge their understanding.

• Briefly explain the purpose of the interview, approximate duration, confidentiality concerns and any other issues detailed in the informed consent.
• Confirm that the interviewee consents to the audio-recording (if they do not agree to be audio-recorded, they will not participate in the study)
• Allow the interviewee to ask any last questions, or voice any objections or concerns that they may have. If possible, ask them to describe, in their own words, what their participation entails.

TOPIC GUIDE

For a “semi-structured” interview, you should follow the topic guide as much as possible. However, it is important to be flexible (i.e., ask follow-up questions that might not be on the topic guide). It is also important to give the interviewee space to talk, even if it doesn’t seem entirely relevant/doesn’t overlap with the topic guide. However, if the interviewee steers into a completely unrelated topic you should try to get back to the topic guide.

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Helpful Tips

• It may help to have a beverage for yourself and for your interviewee. This can help your “7 second pauses” seem more natural and can give the participant time to expand further.
• Don’t interrupt the interviewee. When you have good rapport with the participant, you can feel too at ease where you could find yourself finishing their sentences or trying to share an experience of your own to relate to them. The interviewee is the focus of the conversation. Letting your guard down too much can compromise the quality of your data.
• Watch your use of enthusiasm. There really are truly fascinating and interesting things that participants may say but when you repeatedly are over-enthused and agreeable, it can come across as disingenuous.
• For the sake of transcription, watch your verbal agreements. Every “mmhmm” means another line break and typing “mmhmm.” Smiling and nodding is useful.
• Keep note taking minimal. Jot down quick and short notes to remind yourself to prompt certain items. Don’t take detailed notes during the interview, be present; remember, everything is audio recorded, you can take notes later, you can’t ask questions later.

Useful prompts for more information

• You said/mentioned X, can you explain that a bit more?
• I was a bit confused when you mentioned X, can you clarify that for me?
• You listed a few different items, is there one in particular that you think is most important?
• Can you give me a specific example of what you just described?
• How did you view your role in that situation?
• What were you trying to find out by doing X?
• How do you think X affected what happened next? What kind of impact do you think you had on what happened next?
• What would you have liked to see happen?
• Tell me more about that….

RECORDING

Once you have your time and location set, you can start the interview process. Always make sure that you have completed the entire informed consent process prior to beginning the audio recording. You should not audio record the informed consent process. Once the document is completed and signed, you may begin your interview. Standalone audio recorders are the best option as usually the sound quality is superior with these. You must transfer the files to a secure location immediately after you have completed the interview.

Check the recording when you start and, if you have a lull in the conversation, make sure it is still running. Place the recorder in plain sight, close enough that it can pick up both you and the participant but as not to create a barrier. For example, if you are sitting across from your participant and you place the audio recorder directly between you two, you may notice that they may glance down at it when they are deep in thought or trying to discuss sensitive issues. This may create a psychological barrier to talking freely.

TRANSCRIBING

When transcribing, you need to ensure that you are writing down every word that both you and the participant says, not paraphrasing. Do not edit the text for clarity. People make ‘mistakes’ when they speak, capture them. Keep in mind that once the project is complete, the audio recordings are generally destroyed. This means that you need to capture every detail. The details uhm (5 second pause) can be important for the analysis (dependent on what type of analysis you’re conducting of course).

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In addition to noting pauses, be sure to include other types of nonverbal communication like (laughs), (nervous laughs), (cries), (sighs), emphasized words, etc. Throughout the transcript be consistent with your notes. For example, don’t use a combination of (sighs), (sighing), and (sigh). If you can’t figure out what the participant said due to background noise or mumbling, make a note of it. You can use (inaudible), (indiscernible), or (indiscernible mumbling).

For those who do not have a foot pedal or transcription software, http://otranscribe.com/ is a useful website. Here, you can easily use keyboard shortcuts to start and stop the recording and to adjust the playback speed. “oTranscribe is designed in a way that your data (both the audio file and the written transcript) never leaves your local computer. The transcript is not kept on a remote server or “in the cloud”, but is instead in your computer’s local storage.

Depending on how fast you type, it may be useful to “type through” meaning that you do not bother with the proper formatting and the information about who is speaking (e.g., I1:, S1:). Inserting quick line breaks (by pressing the enter key) will help denote who is speaking. If you are using the website listed above, regularly copy and save your text into the standard template provided and fix your formatting when desired.

When transcribing, keep in mind that you will need to redact the information. Redacting means removing any information that can potentially identify those involved in the study. This involves things like personal names, geographic locations, personal health information, dates, etc. Other factors might also make an interviewee identifiable. There will be a master list/table of the codes. This document should have restricted access and you should follow local rules for how long you keep this information.