Oral History :: Interview Report

Oral History Interview & Importance – Part 26

Interview Report

Hamid Qazvini
Translated by Natalie Haghverdian

2017-10-17

Once the interview process is over, it is essential to draft a report on interview status and methodology; the report shall contain the data on idea emergence to narrator identification and contact and interview conduct which shall be archived as the background of the project and submit it to relevant organizations. This report shall be drafted by the interviewer and it is important to inform the project sponsors and beneficiaries. Also, such report assists the scholar to remember the interview methodology and its status later and have a clear understanding of it. Some oral history institutes and organizations have reporting formats which facilitates the process and unifies the reports. There are various titles in such forms including: main subject, sub-subjects, complementary questions, interview strengths and weaknesses, level of narrator’s involvement, attachments.

It is worth mentioning that writing the report immediately after the interview makes it more precise and comprehensive.

Main content to be covered in the report are:

A: General Data

Narrator’s name and personal information
Date and hour and duration of the interview sessions
Sound and image quality
Interviewer & interview team personal information
Interview location address

B: Detailed information

Definition on narrator’s collaboration. Whether the narrator’s cooperation was sufficient and if not which are the reasons? If collaborated, what is the assessment on the quality of responses?
Narrator’s main perception of the interview subject and its necessity.
Recording the narrator’s physical and emotional state during the interview.
Indication of the name and personal information and relevant topics to specific individuals named by the narrator in the interview.
Elaboration on probable continuation of the interview and its methodology.
Main pillars of dialogue during the interview. (Indicating key words supports recoding various subjects.)
Interview annexed documents; indicating number and specification of such documents.
Method of communication with the narrator?
In case there is a questionnaire available it is recommended to attach them to the report to indicate which questions were covered.

In some projects, two or three individuals fill the report form which include the general information covering the start to the end, implementation and archive of the whole process.

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 1 - Oral History, Path to Cultural Dialogue

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 2 - Characteristics of an Interviewer

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 3 - Selecting a Subject

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 4 - Narrator Identification & Selection

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 5 - Goal Setting

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 6 - Importance of Pre-interview Data Collection

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 7 - To Schedule & Coordinate an Interview

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 8 - Required Equipment & Accessories

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 9 - Presentation is vital

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 10 - Interview Room

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 11 - Pre-interview Justifications

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 12 - How to Start an Interview