Using email interviews

This guide, written by Lucy Gibson for the National Centre for Research Methods at the University of Manchester, looks at the use of email interviews in a qualitative, mixed method study.

Excerpt

"Some may believe that email interviewing is more suited to research with young participants though I found email interviews to be popular with my participants, who ranged in age from 30 to 62. Email interviews do rely on participants having access to, and feeling confident using computers, which may mean that it is not appropriate for some research. Participants also need to feel comfortable writing their own accounts of their experiences: interviewees in my study enjoyed this process, but it will not suit all projects. Taking part in email interviews can take a lot of time for participants, so you will need to decide whether this is appropriate for your topic and sample. One commonly-quoted potential problem with online research is the difficulty of knowing if your participants are who they say they are."

Contents

• Are email interviews appropriate for my study?
• Timing and pace
• Types of data produced
• Authenticity and confidentiality
• Planning and doing email interviews
• Feedback from participants