Online Interviews: Resources for Researchers
Find books and articles for guidance and examples.
We’ve thought about ways to design and conduct 1-1 online interviews in May 2025; in June we’ll explore group interviews and focus groups online and delve into ethical issues associated with this kind of research. Catch up on posts you missed from this series:
Prepare for an online interview
also see:
I discovered the potential for doing research interviews online when designing my doctoral research. Once I completed my degree I started exploring methods for designing and conducting qualitative research using the internet and writing about them - and haven’t stopped. My books offer guidance about methodological, ethical, and practical issues in online research. I added new topics with each iteration. To purchase a digital copy use the 25% discount code UK25BOOKS on the ebooks.com page.
Online Interviews in Real Time (2010 - out of print):
Synchronous interviews.Cases in Online Interview Research (2011)
Cases by multidisciplinary writers and critiques. Sample chapters are open-access:
Chapter 1: Designing and Conducting Research With Online InterviewsQualitative Online Interviews
Strategies, Design, and Skills (2014)
Synchronous and asynchronous interviews and observations.
Chapter 1: The E-Interview Research FrameworkGather Your Data Online (2019): A concise overview of online methods.
Doing Qualitative Research Online (2022): A wide range of methods for studies using existing data and documents, as well as interviews, observations, creative and arts-based methods.
Right now I am working on a new multimedia guide to be self-published on Pressbooks in August: When the Field is Online. Stay tuned for more news about this exciting project!
You might be wondering what it looks like when researchers conduct interviews online. You might wonder why and how researchers make choices about using synchronous versus asynchronous exchanges, or written versus visual or multimedia modes. Peruse this curated collection of open access resources to learn more.
Written interviews
Synchronous
Opara, V., Spangsdorf, S., & Ryan, M. K. (2021). Reflecting on the use of Google Docs for online interviews: Innovation in qualitative data collection. Qualitative Research, 23(3), 561-578. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941211045192 (Original work published 2023)
Google Docs is a widely used online word processing software. Despite its broad popularity in business and education, Google Docs is under-utilised as a tool to facilitate qualitative interviews within research. In this article, we reflect on our experiences as two PhDs using Google Docs to conduct synchronous, online, written interviews.
Asynchronous
Grigorovicius, M. (2025). Online Reflective Essays: A Guide for Qualitative Researchers. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 24. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251321256 (Original work published 2025)
Abstract. Conducting research online is becoming more popular among researchers, especially qualitative researchers. As qualitative methodology gains more credibility and popularity, it is important to continue expanding and improving the qualitative research toolkit. This article offers a guide for qualitative researchers on how to methodologically use online reflective essays to collect rich qualitative data to answer their research questions. When developing a study, qualitative researchers should consider a set of factors, including the research question, the sensitivity of the research question, the amount of reflectivity required to answer the research question, the length it takes to answer the research question, and the type of population that will be used to answer the research question. This article discusses these factors and provides practical design suggestions using examples from a previous study that collected data using online reflective essays.
Harris, S. L., Shaw, M., & Green, J. F. (2024). Utilizing Asynchronous Email Interviewing for Qualitative Research Among Multiple Participant Groups: Perspectives on Met and Unmet Needs From Chaplain Staffing. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241257943 (Original work published 2024)
Abstract. Asynchronous email interviewing has been increasingly utilized as an electronic method of data collection in qualitative research, because it eliminates the need for costly travel and transcription and allows more time for participants to react with thoughtful, reflective responses. While research indicates that data collected in written form is comparable in content and richness with that collected in-person, via telephone, or through virtual live interactions, there is the risk of participant attrition, loss of trust-building with subjects and missing non-verbal/visual cues for the researcher.
Roodt CA, Keeley P, Turner M, Edmondson A, Kendal S. Perspectives of an international sample of adults with Trichotillomania on the acceptability and feasibility of an asynchronous qualitative email interview method. Research Methods in Medicine & Health Sciences. 2022;3(2):55-64. doi:10.1177/26320843221080733
Abstract. Trichotillomania (TTM) is characterised by the recurrent pulling out of one’s own hair, resulting in hair loss. It is a poorly understood disorder with no consensus on aetiology or epidemiology. Nested within a larger qualitative study exploring a wide range of TTM topics, the aim of this paper is to report and consider participant views on the acceptability and feasibility of the asynchronous email interview method.
Schiek, D. (2022). Written Online Interviews in Qualitative Social Research: On the Methodological Grounding of a New Research Practice. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-23.1.3754
Abstract. In this article I discuss whether asynchronous written online interviews (e.g., via e-mail or a web forum) can be conducted narratively and based on guidelines, or whether the potential of written interviews is only reserved for certain forms of qualitative procedures. For this purpose, I utilize an empirical study and discuss if qualitative interviews are dependent on situational presence for their respective research goals. It turns out that discursive dialogues work in qualitative written online interviews, while narrative monologues without an immediate counterpart do not function as well. The written medium can therefore be used on the one hand via guided interviews and on the other hand via ethnographic processes, provided the research topic suggests this.
Interviews on videoconference platforms
Arntson, C. L., & Yoon, M. N. (2023). Participant Directed Mobile Interviews: A Data Collection Method for Conducting In-Situ Field Research at a Distance. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231188254 (Original work published 2023)
Abstract. COVID-19 restrictions necessitated innovative online adaptations to conventional qualitative methods; however, virtual interviews do not permit capturing visual data from participants’ environments. Traditional mobile interviews conducted in situ provide contextual, relational, and situational knowledge. Virtual adaptations of mobile interviews have been theorized but not fully tested. This paper compares experiences with an online interview and a virtual adaptation of a mobile interview, the Participant-Directed Mobile Interview (PDMI), during a pilot study examining the design elements of private dental office waiting rooms as symbolic presentations of a dentist’s and dental clinic’s identity.
De Villiers, C., Farooq, M.B. & Molinari, M. 2021. Qualitative Research Interviews Using Online Video Technology - Challenges and Opportunities, Meditari Accountancy Research, forthcoming. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEDAR-03-2021-1252
Abstract. This study examines the methodological and method related challenges and opportunities arising from the use of video interviews in qualitative accounting research, focused on collecting contextual data and visual cues, enriching communication quality, and building and maintaining rapport with interviewees.
Hyde, B., & Rouse, E. (2022). What Is It Like to Experience the Other in an Online Interview? Using Phenomenology to Explore the Online Encounter of the Other. Qualitative Inquiry, 29(7), 874-881. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004221144071 (Original work published 2023) Note: library subscription access only
Abstract. Using a phenomenology of practice, we explore what it is like to experience the other in an online interview using van Manen’s notion of “insight cultivators” as sources for thematic insights in relation to an interview we conducted in a recent project. Specifically, we draw on Don Ihde’s concept of embodiment relations incorporating technology, Emmanuel Levinas’ notion of “the face,” and Jean-Luc Marion’s idea of “the look.” We conclude that online interviews can enhance human encounters and advocate for using these even when in-person events are possible because of the opportunities that are presented by such communication platforms.
Khan, T. H., & MacEachen, E. (2022). An Alternative Method of Interviewing: Critical Reflections on Videoconference Interviews for Qualitative Data Collection. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221090063
Abstract. Qualitative research is an increasingly popular research approach for tackling the evolving complexity of social issues. With this rise in use, methods of qualitative data collection are becoming highly diverse, moving away from conventional approaches and welcoming more innovative and creative methods of data collection in a quest to produce critically and theoretically engaged new knowledge. Although traditional face-to-face interviews remain a compelling and popular means, modern innovative technology-based interviewing, such as videoconference interviews, can play a pivotal role in qualitative research.
Lobe, B., Morgan, D. L., & Hoffman, K. (2022). A Systematic Comparison of In-Person and Video-Based Online Interviewing. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221127068 (Original work published 2022)
Abstract. Due to the increasing popularity of online qualitative interviewing methods, we provide a systematically organized evaluation of their advantages and disadvantages in comparison to traditional in-person interviews. In particular, we describe how individual interviews, dyadic interviews, and focus groups operate in both face-to-face and videoconferencing modes.
Prior, A., & Lachover, E. (2023). Online Interview Shocks: Reflecting on Power Relations in Online Qualitative Interviews. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231211201 (Original work published 2023)
Abstract. The use of online camera-based interviews (OCBI) in qualitative studies is increasing. While recent studies have addressed the benefits and limitations of this method, scholarship still lacks an understanding of it beyond the technicalities. The present study explores how the online setting shapes power relations in qualitative OCBI. The data includes 52 OCBI that were conducted in two different qualitative studies. By applying the concept of interview shocks to the analysis, we gained a deep understanding of how surprising incidents and unexpected moments that occurred during the interviews revealed the role online settings play in shaping the power relations between interviewers and interviewees in OCBI.
Verjee, A., & Sticher, V. (2024). Ambassador, you’re on Mute: Methods for Co-interviewing Elites Online. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241297430 (Original work published 2024)
Abstract. This article draws on the experiences of two previously unacquainted researchers working at distance who collaboratively used online platforms to co-interview respondents across a dozen countries in 2021–22. Rather than our research plans being disrupted by the constraints of COVID-19, we planned from the outset to conduct our research entirely online. Given our geographic separation, personal circumstances, and globally dispersed respondents, online methods were imperative to our research collaboration.
Wakelin, K. J., McAra-Couper, J., & Fleming, T. (2024). Using an Online Platform for Conducting Face-To-Face Interviews. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241234183 (Original work published 2024)
Abstract. Semi-structured interviews are useful for exploring participants experiences, understandings, and opinions on a particular issue. Traditionally, interviews have taken place in-person however, because of in-person restrictions with Covid-19, and with the changing landscape of online connection, opportunities have arisen for how to conduct interviews using an online platform. The purpose of this article is to highlight the first author’s experiences with using an online platform to conduct face-to-face interviews and the valuable contribution that online interviewing could offer as a valid research tool that differs to that of in-person face-to-face interviews.
Żadkowska, M., Dowgiałło, B., Gajewska, M., Herzberg-Kurasz, M., & Kostecka, M. (2022). The Sociological Confessional: A Reflexive Process in the Transformation From Face-To-Face to Online Interview. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221084785
Abstract. This aim of the article is to reflect on a new quality in the researcher-participant relationship caused by the transformation from a face-to-face to an online interview (on the Zoom platform during two first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic). It reports methodological learnings from autoethnography. The concept of an interaction order (Goffman) provides a theoretical lens through which the researcher-participant encounter is being analysed. The study is based on the reflections referring to 31 online in-depth interviews with women (mothers in an ‘empty nest’) conducted by a team of five female researchers. Online research was depicted in literature as an option of a second choice for conducting qualitative studies before 2020 and an online methodology as one in need to be tested. In order to provide the context of our methodological learnings, we will present an overview of our study. Our study consisted of 31 online in-depth interviews with women (mothers in an ‘empty nest’) and was conducted by a team of five female researchers.
Multiple tools or platforms
Desai, R., Magan, A., Maposa, I., Ruiter, R., Rochat, T., & Mercken, L. (2022). A study Comparing Text-Based WhatsApp and Face-to-Face Interviews to Understand Early School Dropout. Youth & Society, 56(1), 42-66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X221138609 (Original work published 2024)
Abstract. The majority of adolescents communicate via text-based messaging, particularly through WhatsApp, a widely used free communication application. Written content on WhatsApp has the methodological potential to provide rich qualitative interview data. This study compares data collected using text-based WhatsApp versus face-to-face interview techniques.
Johannessen, L. E. F., Rasmussen, E. B., & Haldar, M. (2025). Five Misconceptions About Interview Modes or: How to Improve Our Thinking About Face-to-Face Versus Remote Interviewing. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 24. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251317808 (Original work published 2025)
Abstract. New technology brings new methodological opportunities. While long limited to face-to-face interviewing, today’s interview researchers can choose from a plethora of options, including email, instant messaging, telephone, and video interviews. Consequently, the issue of interview modes and their relative strengths and weaknesses has received increased attention. In this article, we take stock of existing writings on interview modes in qualitative interview research.
Hand, C., Keber, A., McFarland, J., McGrath, C., Laliberte Rudman, D., Seale, L., Gilliland, J., & Little, S. (2024). Neighbourhood-based participatory action research with older adults: Facilitating participation through virtual and remote methods. Methodological Innovations, 17(4), 248-260. https://doi.org/10.1177/20597991241292368 (Original work published 2024)
Abstract. Participatory action research (PAR) is an effective means of collaborating with older adults to support community change. Limited PAR literature exists in which older adults catalyse social change within neighbourhoods, particularly using virtual methods. In this paper, we discuss a virtual PAR process with older adults that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the results of inquiry into our application of PAR principles. We conducted PAR in a collective involving university researchers, older adult residents and community partners in an urban core neighbourhood in a mid-sized Canadian city and focused on enhancing daily life for older adults. The PAR project emerged through reflection on previous ethnographic findings regarding older adults’ daily life in neighbourhoods. Our PAR collective collaboratively identified a need among older adults for more accessible information about community resources.
Harvey, O., van Teijlingen, E., & Parrish, M. (2023). Using a Range of Communication Tools to Interview a Hard-to-Reach Population. Sociological Research Online, 29(1), 221-232. https://doi.org/10.1177/13607804221142212 (Original work published 2024)
Abstract. Online communication tools are increasingly being used by qualitative researchers; hence it is timely to reflect on the differences when using a broad range of data collection methods. Using a case study with a potentially hard-to-reach substance-using population who are often distrustful of researchers, this article explores the use of a variety of different platforms for interviews. It highlights both the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
Phillipson-Puna, T., Tkatch, M., Ikiua, M., Leilua, S., Cribb-Su’a, A., Brown, R., & Anderson, A. (2024). A Methodological Insight: Using Online Indigenous Qualitative Data Collection Methods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Auckland, New Zealand. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241286411 (Original work published 2024)
Abstract. Adapting indigenous qualitative research methods to an online platform was essential for indigenous qualitative research to continue during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online qualitative data collection is a new method supporting health and other research. During the pandemic, shifting to online qualitative data collection was largely driven by impacts of COVID-19 restrictions where in-person data collection could not be undertaken. Recent research has evaluated online focus groups compared to the in-person focus group approach. However, less is understood about how Māori, Pacific and other Indigenous cultural protocols translate to an online approach.
Schmid, U. K., Kümpel, A. S., & Rieger, D. (2022). How social media users perceive different forms of online hate speech: A qualitative multi-method study. New Media & Society, 26(5), 2614-2632. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221091185 (Original work published 2024)
Abstract. Although many social media users have reported encountering hate speech, differences in the perception between different users remain unclear. Using a qualitative multi-method approach, we investigated how personal characteristics, the presentation form, and content-related characteristics influence social media users’ perceptions of hate speech, which we differentiated as first-level (i.e. recognizing hate speech) and second-level perceptions (i.e. attitude toward it). To that end, we first observed 23 German-speaking social media users as they scrolled through a fictitious social media feed featuring hate speech. Next, we conducted remote self-confrontation interviews to discuss the content and semi-structured interviews involving interactive tasks.
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