Designing and Conducting Research With Online Interviews

This first chapter of Janet Salmons' book, Cases in Online Interview Research, provides guidance to designing and conducting online interviews for research.  It considers the different types of asynchronous and synchronous  communication and how these can be used for interviews to gather data for research purposes.

The whole book is available for purchase from Sage Publications

Excerpt

"Studies using data collected through online interviews follow fundamental steps and thinking involved in any research as well as those involved more specifically with qualitative interview research, then add an important dimension—the technology. When the direct interaction between researcher and participant occurs through computer-mediated communications (CMCs), technology is more than a simple transactional medium. The human qualities so important to interview communications are experienced differently; the technology delimits the form of the communication in ways both subtle and obvious.

Some information and communications technologies (ICTs) allow for a full range of visual and verbal exchange. Some ICTs, such as videoconferencing, allow for an interview that closely resembles the natural back-and-forth of face-to-face communication, including verbal and nonverbal signals." (Salmons, 2012)

Contents

  • Understanding E-Interview Research
  • Aligning Purpose and Design
  • Choosing E-Interviews as a Data Collection Method for the Study
  • Handling Sampling and Recruiting
  • Positioning the Researcher
  • Determining E-Interview Style(s)
  • Selecting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Milieu
  • Conducting the Interview
  • Addressing Ethical Issues

Sources

Salmons, J. (2012). Cases in online interview research. Sage Publications. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book235442