You're conducting an interview for a research project. What are the best questions to ask?

1 Know your purpose

Before you start writing your questions, you need to have a clear idea of the purpose and scope of your interview. What is the main research question you are trying to answer? What are the specific objectives and sub-questions of your interview? How will the interview data complement other sources of data in your project? Having a clear purpose will help you focus your questions on the most important and relevant topics, and avoid wasting time and resources on irrelevant or redundant information.

2 Choose your type

Depending on your purpose and approach, you may choose to use different types of questions in your interview. There are three main types of questions: closed, open, and probing. Closed questions are those that can be answered with a yes or no, a number, or a predefined category. They are useful for gathering factual or quantitative information, or for confirming or clarifying information. Open questions are those that allow the participants to express their opinions, feelings, experiences, or perspectives in their own words. They are useful for exploring complex or subjective issues, or for generating new insights or ideas. Probing questions are those that follow up on the participants' responses to closed or open questions, and ask them to elaborate, explain, justify, or provide examples. They are useful for deepening the understanding of the participants' views, or for clarifying any ambiguity or inconsistency.

4 Test your questions

Before you conduct your interview, you need to test your questions to make sure that they are clear, relevant, and appropriate. You can do this by conducting a pilot interview with a small sample of your target population, or by asking a colleague or a friend to review your questions and provide feedback. Testing your questions will help you identify and fix any problems or gaps in your questions, and improve the quality and validity of your data.

Interviews are a powerful tool for research, but they require careful crafting of questions. By following these tips and best practices, you can design questions that will help you collect rich and reliable data for your research project.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?