Research Methods and Interview Methods in Writing
Introduction
Research and interviews are important methods that writers use to gather information and insights to include in their work. Whether the goal is to write non-fiction or fiction, conducting research and interviews allows writers to make their work more authentic, detailed, and compelling. This essay will explore various research methods and interview methods that writers can employ and provide examples of how each method has been effectively used. It will also discuss best practices for conducting interviews and analyzing research to ensure the information gathered can be properly incorporated into a written work.
Library and Online Research
One of the most fundamental research methods is conducting library and online research. Libraries provide access to books, periodicals, public records, and other primary and secondary sources that can offer factual details and perspectives to include in a written work. Online research has expanded the scope of information available and made certain resources more convenient to access from anywhere. When conducting library or online research, writers should cast a wide net to explore different viewpoints, keep detailed notes with citations, and verify facts from multiple credible sources.
Fictional works have greatly benefited from thorough research. For her novel The Alienist, author Caleb Carr spent years researching turn-of-the-century New York City through historical records, newspapers, photos, and texts to authentically recreate the setting and technologies of the time period. Consulting reference works allowed Carr to imbue small realistic details that added verisimilitude to the story. Non-fiction works also rely heavily on comprehensive research from published materials. Works of history, science, current affairs, and biography would lack substance and rigor without the foundational research conducted through libraries and online databases.
Government and Institutional Records
Government records and documents from institutions like universities, hospitals, and corporations can offer a wealth of factual data and qualitative insights. Writers of history, investigative journalism, and social commentary frequently mine records from governmental agencies, courts, legislature, archives, and more to unearth facts and give context behind major events or policy decisions. Government websites now also host digitized copies of historical records that were previously only accessible through official archives.
Pulitzer Prize winner Gerald Posner spent years poring over declassified documents, memos, photographs and transcripts from the FBI and CIA for his book Case Closed about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The detailed records allowed Posner to challenge previous conclusions and offer a fresh interpretation of the event based on diligent research. Journalist Shane Bauer gained access to extensive records from private prisons for his expose on human rights issues inside these facilities published in Mother Jones magazine. Institutional records have also assisted biographers in illuminating the accomplishments and controversies surrounding influential figures.
Field Observations and Site Visits
For some topics, the most enlightening form of research involves directly observing settings, happenings, and communities discussed in a piece of writing. Conducting field observations and site visits allows researchers and journalists to notice subtle nuances that might be missed through secondhand accounts. They can also photograph or take detailed notes on the physical environments described. This hands-on research brings articles, essays, travelogues and descriptive works to life through vivid sensory descriptions only experience can provide.
To report on the humanitarian crisis facing Syrian refugees in Turkey, journalist Sophia Jones lived for months among displaced communities, gaining their trust to witness and document their daily struggles firsthand. Her resulting stories for the International Rescue Committee conveyed the plight of refugees through immersive observations rather than statistics. In his book about Appalachian coal mining traditions, author Wilma Dykeman spent lengthy periods in mining towns, accompanying locals on work shifts, social gatherings, and church services to absorb the realities of their culture before putting pen to paper.
Interviews
Conducting interviews is another valuable method writers employ to enrich their work with human perspectives, anecdotes, and insights not found elsewhere. Interview subjects can include experts, witnesses, participants, and public figures involved with the topic at hand. Interviews afford complexity beyond just stating facts by revealing subjective views, motives, memories, and unintended consequences of events. They bring the human element that engages readers amid informational content.
When composing profiles of rising tech entrepreneurs for Forbes magazine, journalist Ashley Stahl meets with startup founders, asking questions that divulge both their professional achievements and personal backgrounds influencing their careers. Longform magazine contributor Kate Julian interviewed dozens of Central Park birdwatchers, weaving their candid reminiscences into a thoughtful essay about how the simple pastime brings people together. Interviews are also core to investigative reporting exposing wrongdoing, such as Seymour Hersh’s interviews revealing the My Lai massacre or Bob Woodward’s interviews uncovering details in Watergate scandals.
Conducting Effective Interviews
To yield valuable interview content, writers must prepare well and conduct the interview professionally. Here are some best practices:
Research the interview subject and come prepared with thoughtful questions tailored to their expertise or experiences. Avoid generic questions.
Inform subjects of the purpose and scope of the interview to set expectations and obtain their consent for use of responses. Consider confidentiality as needed.
Meet in a mutually agreeable location away from distractions where the subject feels comfortable opening up. An in-person interview is preferable when possible.
Clearly explain ground rules such as you may take notes or use a recording device for accuracy. Clearly ask permission for any recordings.
Actively listen without judgment and maintain neutral body language to encourage openness. Redirect as needed while showing interest in the subject’s perspective.
Ask follow-up questions seeking specifics, examples, clarification or opposing viewpoints for depth and complexity.
Express appreciation to build rapport while respecting time constraints. Provide contact details to answer any post-interview queries.
Transcribe or take detailed notes soon after for reliable reference later during the writing process. Consider anonymizing sensitive quotes as agreed.
Verify any key facts stated that will be directly quoted for accuracy before publication. Offer the subject a chance to review directly quoted remarks.
With preparation and ethical conduct of interviews, writers can obtain invaluable personal anecdotes, contextual details and multi-dimensional viewpoints to strengthen features, profiles, reported articles, historical accounts, or other works. Thoughtful interviews add the human component essential to engaging non-fiction and transforming dry facts into lively narrative.
Analyzing and Synthesizing Research
After substantial research, the abundant raw data, notes, quotes, statistics, and observations must then be methodically analyzed and synthesized for incorporation into the written work. Writers assess research items for relevance, bias, reliability of sources, consistency with facts, and how items interconnect before determining the most cogent way to present findings. They synthesize individual research modules into coherent broader conclusions, themes, counterexamples or refine existing theories based on a holistic analysis of all inputs.
Medical researcher Bernard Lown analyzed thousands of studies on cardiovascular health, consulting reference texts on physiology and mining statistics from medical trials to compose the seminal book The Lost Art of Healing. His synthesis identified lifestyle factors significantly impacting heart disease risks and challenged conventional assumptions, influencing prevention protocols. Historian Jill Lepore analyzed archival records from multiple institutions, published primary documents, monographs and periodicals to synthesize a fresh interpretation of pivotal events in her book on American history, These Truths: A History of the United States. Careful analysis and synthesis of reams of disparate research materials is an equally vital element of the writing process as the initial information gathering. It transforms raw inputs into organized knowledge and substantive conclusions for target audiences.
Conclusion
Quality research and interviews allow writers across disciplines to enrich their narratives with authenticity, meaningful context and insights beyond their direct experience. Library research, online materials, records, field observations, site visits and interviews all lend distinct factual and experiential contributions when properly conducted and analyzed. With diligence in information gathering supplemented by synthesis into broader conclusions, writers can substantiate their perspectives for readers while envisioning topics from multiple angles through varied research methods. Future writers should appreciate the importance of these foundational methods in composing grounded, nuanced and persuasive written works backed by credible evidence across both fiction and non-fiction genres.
Andrew Stroud