dissertation interview transcript example

Creating effective interview transcripts for your dissertation

Have you ever thought about how your dissertation's disorganised interview notes become a logical and informative chapter to your work? Transcription is the key. Transcripts serve as the foundation for qualitative data analysis and are frequently used in dissertations as vital support and proof.

A keen eye for detail and strict adherence to particular formatting requirements are necessary for creating the ideal dissertation. Moving forward, we will be discussing all you need to know about qualitative interviews , transcribing for them, and how to write an interview transcript in an APA format.

We’ve also linked a few exemplar interview transcript dissertations at the end of this which you can follow as a guide.

A guide to writing an interview transcript for dissertation

Writing an interview transcript for a dissertation requires balancing academic standards for compliance, accuracy, and coherence. The interviewee's details and variations are conveyed in this transcript, which not only provides essential support for your study but also adds depth and richness to your dissertation.

Here’s how you can improve your process of transcribing interviews qualitative research :

To get a feel of the whole topic and context, start by listening to the entire interview tape at least once, without stopping.

Write down every word that was spoken during the interview in a verbatim transcription. This covers every word said, even if they are filler or repeats that don't hinder comprehension or reading. Here you can make use of transcription services like Good Tape, which are competitively priced and have a much shorter turnaround time than manual transcription.

Pay attention to relevant non-verbal clues and pauses since they might reveal more about the interviewee's feelings and reactions.

Make sure your transcript follows a clear, uniform structure. Timestamps, speaker labels, and paragraph breaks for new subjects or questions to be included in this.

After the initial transcription, check and revise the transcript to ensure it is coherent and clear, according to the original.

By following this process you can effectively change the organic flow of a spoken interview into an instructive and captivating written style.

Interview transcription - A hypothetical case scenario

A recent dissertation from a Ph.D. candidate at an internationally recognised college provides an excellent illustration of the significance of transcripts from interviews when working on dissertations.

The researcher performed a number of in-depth interviews with locals, municipal planners, and company owners in order to better understand how urban expansion affects local communities. Every interview provided a different viewpoint on how the community views urban development initiatives and their effects.

Rather than manually transcribing several interview recordings or listening to them on a loop, the researcher employed transcription services to speed up their work.

Services like Good Tape ensure that your data remain protected and secure throughout the entire process as they are fully GDPR compliant, giving you peace of mind that your research is not getting into the wrong hands.

The dissertation's use of direct excerpts from the transcriptions gave the study results a stronger, more genuine voice. As a result, the dissertation's quality was enhanced and the reader and research subjects felt more personally connected. Because of this, the dissertation demonstrated the significant effects of urban growth on several stakeholders while being both academically demanding and very relevant to experiences and viewpoints from the real world.

How to write an interview transcript in an APA format

To guarantee that the transcript is accurate, comprehensible, and follows the rules set out by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), writing an interview transcript in APA style requires a certain approach. The actions to take are as follows:

Header information: Put a title that accurately summarises the interview's topic at the beginning of the transcript, along with any important identifying details like the interview date and the names of the interviewer and interviewee.

Speaker identification: Throughout the transcript, be sure to distinguish between the interviewer and the interviewee. Before every conversation line, use their names or titles (e.g., ‘Interviewer:’ and ‘Respondent:’).

Exact transcription: Enter the words exactly as they were said in the transcription. Incorporate all spoken words, such as "um" and "uh," unless their inclusion hinders comprehension of the conversation.

Nonverbal cues: The main nonverbal clues are indicated in parentheses. For instance, you can include [pauses], [laughs], or [sighs] if they provide background information for the discussion.

Paragraph structure: Whenever the speaker or topic changes, a new paragraph should be started. This improves readability and aids in the logical organisation of the text.

Editing and proofreading: Verify that the transcript is grammatically and typographically correct. Make sure the text is comprehensible and clear without sacrificing the authenticity of the spoken word.

In-text citations: Use the proper APA style citations when referencing your transcript inside the body of your dissertation.

While the answer to how to write an interview transcript in APA format is clear now, it is important to understand that while doing so, you are not only making your work more academically acceptable but also improving its readability score.

The procedure of following APA criteria for your dissertation may be greatly streamlined by using a transcription service, which will make the process much more effective and time-saving. Good Tape offers services in this regard which allows you to transcribe your interview audios adhering to the APA standard in no time.

Investing in a professional service guarantees that your interview transcripts are prepared in accordance with APA guidelines and are exactly as is, capturing every word and subtle emotion from the interviewee.

FAQ about interview transcripts in a dissertation

Transcripts from interviews are an essential component of dissertation work, especially in the humanities, social sciences, and qualitative research. However, it's common to have certain pressing questions at this stage. We have addressed a few that might help clear things up a bit for you.

Do you include interview transcripts in a dissertation?

Indeed, it is typical practice to include interview transcripts in dissertations, particularly in qualitative research. Readers may examine the precise data that was used to form conclusions by reading transcripts, which offer a thorough and accurate record of the interviews that were done.

Why get an interview transcription for a dissertation?

For dissertations, transcriptions are essential because they translate spoken language into a written form that is simple to examine. They make it possible to look more closely at the data and make it easier to find themes, patterns, and subtleties in the replies.

What kind of transcription do I need for my dissertation?

A verbatim transcription is chosen for the majority of dissertations. In order to fully capture the context of the interview and the interviewee's meaning, it is necessary to transcribe exactly what was said, including any filler words and non-verbal cues. Nonetheless, you may choose a clean transcription, which eliminates irrelevant phrases and fixes grammar for readability, based on the subject matter of your study.

How do I format interview transcripts for a dissertation?

Transcripts of interviews should be formatted according to the requirements of your university or the particular style guide you are using, like APA or MLA. This usually entails using non-verbal clues, maintaining consistency in paragraph layout, and having a clear framework for identifying speakers.

Can I use automated transcription services for my dissertation interviews?

Using automated transcription services that use AI to transcribe audio into text can be quite beneficial as they help save a lot of time. However, you need to be sure that the service you’re employing is suitable for your needs and serves the purpose well.

Revolutionise your interview analysis process with Good Tape

Having a good transcription service to convert your audio interviews into written documents speeds up your dissertation structuring and writing process. You can spend more time analysing and improving the overall quality of your dissertation rather than on listening to the recordings on loop. This is where Good Tape comes to your aid.

It’s simple to use and has a shorter turnaround time which makes it the most effective choice. Here’s how you can work your way around it.

• Upload your file: The first step in the process is to upload the file you need to transcribe. Make sure the file is complete and has all the information you require

• Select the language: Good Tape has a number of options when it comes to choosing the language of transcription. Select the one you want, although you can also choose the “auto-detect” option for the system to automatically identify the language in the audio.

• Transcribe the text: Once the file is uploaded and the language is chosen, proceed further by clicking the “transcribe” button. Your audio transcription process starts here.

• To wait or not to wait: If you’re a casual plan user, you will have to wait for some time for your transcription to be completed due to excessive load by the users. However, if you’re a professional or a team user, you get your results ASAP. The wait time depends on the plan you’re subscribed to .

• Get notified: You will receive a notification once your transcribed document is ready. An e-mail will be sent to your inbox containing the link to access and download the document.

Begin your journey with a udio-to-text conversion now and accelerate your dissertation process by using Good Tape’s efficient transcription offerings tailored to your requirements.

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How to transcribe an interview – and maximise the benefits

Stop scribbling and start listening. Capture more value from your interviews with transcription.

An interview is a dynamic process, like a game of tennis, with the flow of conversation determined by how the ‘players’ deliver each question and answer. For an interviewer to obtain maximum value from the interview, therefore, they must be able to focus fully on the responses coming back over the net from the interviewee.

Any distraction from what the interviewee is saying could result in the interviewer missing a vital comment, misreading a crucial point of emphasis or delivering questions that fail to capitalise on earlier responses.

It’s not a good idea, therefore, to stop paying attention during an interview so you can scribble down the bits you did hear. So, how can an interviewer achieve the best interview while maintaining a detailed and accurate record of what was said?

Fortunately, there is a simple solution: transcription . Simply record the interview then transcribe the recording into the written word.

Why transcribe an interview?

Here are 10 ways that interview transcriptions can benefit you and your business:

1. Carry out better interviews

Knowing that an interview is to be transcribed allows you to keep your notebook, laptop or tablet out of sight and concentrate on what you are actually there for: the interview. Without having to constantly jot down notes, you can engage with what is being said, look the interviewee in the eye and build rapport.

2. Capture every detail

Scribbled notes taken during an interview usually require deciphering afterwards. Struggling to make sense of barely legible scrawl and rewriting the bits you can salvage takes time. Recording the session and having it transcribed, however, allows you to review a full, accurate and clearly presented account of the entire interview.

3. Quote with confidence

Word-for-word accuracy is essential when quoting your interview subjects. Indeed, attributing an inaccurate quote can result in legal consequences and the loss of credibility when attempting to arrange interviews in the future. A transcript helps you avoid this potential pitfall. It also provides a definitive source should there be any dispute over what was said at the time.

4. Search with ease

Listening to an entire recording of a lengthy interview each time you want to locate a specific comment is not an effective use of time. A transcribed interview, on the other hand, gives you a searchable text document, where a single word or phrase can be found instantly and effortlessly.

5. Collaborate with colleagues

Interviews and the subsequent analysis of the content often involve more than one person. Transcription replaces the large, unwieldy audio and video files that result from an interview’s recording with much smaller, more manageable text files – making life easier for the whole team. The accuracy of a transcript also ensures that colleagues who were not involved in the interview themselves can interpret and quote what was said without error or loss of context.

Download our free transcription template

Get started with transcription. Here you will find templates for both detailed transcription and standard transcription . You can use the formats and examples in your own working document.

6. Recycle content

The words spoken during an interview can be valuable on more than one occasion, especially for those in the journalism or content creation business. The written text of a transcript is easy to edit, summarise and expand, making it relatively simple to extract different elements of the interview and adapt and reuse them in various forms, from a terse tweet to a full-length article.

7. Generate video captions

Subtitles (a text alternative to video dialogue), closed captions (subtitles plus all other relevant elements of the soundtrack, such as background noises and phones ringing) and foreign-language captions (translated from the initial text) all require a time-indexed transcription of the original video before they can be created.

8. Keep lasting records

Having conversations in transcript form makes it possible to compile, collate and review your interviews past and present. This is particularly useful when you need to carry out further analysis, settle a dispute or evaluate an interview alongside newly acquired data, for example. Whether printed on paper, stored in a laptop or uploaded to the cloud, organising, retrieving and sharing your notes becomes easy and convenient.

9. Increase accessibility

Audio recordings are, by their nature, restricted to the hearing community. A transcript of the recording, however, is accessible to the hard-of-hearing, the deaf, those who do not have a fluent understanding of the language, and those who don’t speak the language at all.

10. Assess your performance

Typically, interviews take place away from anyone other than the participants. Examining a transcript to identify the effectiveness of the questioning and the subtle interplay between interviewer and interviewee can be a valuable learning opportunity for the interviewer. Unlike imperfect and subjective memory, a transcript provides a dispassionate view of precisely what was said in the interview room.

Want to know more about Semantix transcription services?

When are interviews transcribed.

There are a wide variety of situations where someone would want to transcribe an interview. Here are six examples of when it makes sense to transcribe:

1. Transcribe interviews for qualitative research

Qualitative research involves collecting and analysing non-numerical data, such as interviews with individuals and focus groups. In business, qualitative research is a long-established part of a product’s journey to market. As well as using these interviews as source material, it is important to record and preserve them for the sake of accuracy and future reference. Written transcripts provide qualitative researchers with the ideal medium for this.

2. Transcribe interviews for a dissertation

Interviews undertaken for academic work can be transcribed to create an easily editable version of what was said. Furthermore, transcription is often used within educational organisations such as schools, colleges and universities to improve the quality of teaching, the accessibility of learning resources and to provide students with searchable versions of lectures and seminars online.

3. Transcribe medical interviews

The work of doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners is often too fast-moving to be able to log written notes after each medical interview. Dictating remarks into a recording device, however, is quick and can be transcribed into text afterwards, maximising medical care while maintaining reliable records.

4. Transcribe legal interviews

The legal profession relies on huge quantities of easily accessible written records. From wills to witness statements, court proceedings to arbitrations and mediations, transcribed recordings of interviews can be presented at a later date, safe in the knowledge that they correlate exactly with what was said during the interview.

5. Transcribe insurance interviews

When insurers interview claimants, witnesses and other relevant parties, any discussions are legally binding. It is essential that every word is logged with absolute accuracy. Transcription transforms audio and video recordings of interviews into written legal documentation that can be used to assess and process an insurance claim.

6. Transcribe interviews for journalism

Interviews are central to the work of any journalist or reporter. With a need to recall vast amounts of information, and a duty to quote people correctly and report events as they happened, transcription offers a valuable method of capturing and presenting what was said with absolute accuracy.

How to transcribe an interview verbatim

With so many applications for transcribed text, it is no surprise that there are also many different types of transcription to choose from.

‘Verbatim’ transcriptions include every pause, every repetition, every noise and every er… um… yeah… you know. The transcriber can even add notes regarding such details as the tone of voice being used to ensure the reader gets as much information as they would if they were listening to the original recording. If every little detail matters, verbatim transcriptions are probably the best choice for you.

If you can manage without the extraneous coughs and stammers, an ‘intelligent’ or ‘word-for-word’ transcription offers an edited version of the interview – but only edited to the degree that all the inessential noises, interruptions, etc. are removed.

The next step away from the verbatim transcription is the ‘edited’ transcription. This is similar to the intelligent transcription, but with grammatical mistakes corrected, unfinished sentences completed and so on. The result will appear more formal than the original interview, but it will be easier to read and understand.

Intelligent and edited transcriptions offer more workable versions of the verbatim transcription, but they should only be used if you are certain the interview’s audible extras and style of delivery are not required to provide useful insight.

How to mark timestamps and speakers in an interview

As well as the words spoken during the interview, a transcript includes two more vital components: timestamps and speaker identification. Knowing who is talking and when allows users to jump straight to specific points in the interview without having to work through the entire recording.

Typically, a new speaker is identified wherever they change. Timestamps specify the hours, minutes and seconds – in [HH:MM:SS] format – from the start of the audio recording at which the given text was spoken.

There are several different ways in which timestamps and speakers are inserted into transcriptions. For example:

• Timestamps that indicate when actual speech begins and ends are useful when a recording does not have dialogue right from the start.
• Timestamps and speaker identification placed whenever a new person speaks can help to locate key moments in an audio recording. Interviewer: (00:17:30) Have you ever met anyone famous? Joe Smith: (00:17:32) Well, I’ve never told anyone this before, but I dated Beyonce for a while back in the 90s. A more granular marker can be provided by adding a new timestamp every sentence (though this can result in a cluttered transcription). (00:00:00) This is a brief example of a transcript. (00:00:02) The time each new sentence begins is displayed in the timestamp. (00:00:05) This is just one of many timestamping options.
• A more common requirement is the periodic timestamp, which is added at predetermined time intervals (such as every three seconds or every 30 minutes). (00:00:00) Here is an example of how a time-stamped transcript can incorporate a (00:00:03) timestamp every three seconds by including the (00:00:06) timestamp within the written text.

How to transcribe an interview automatically using apps or software

Transcribing an interview can be a time-consuming task, which is why many people take advantage of the numerous technological speech-to-text solutions that are on the market.

There are several transcription software options for Mac and PC users to choose from. For example, Windows 11 , Microsoft’s latest operating system, which has the advantage of operating without the need for an internet connection.

In addition to most smartphones’ built-in speech-to-text application, there are a variety of downloadable transcription apps for mobile devices. These apps provide a dedicated, portable tool for transcribing interviews. Some apps, such as Dragon Anywhere , sync with the desktop version of the software and save storage space by being cloud-based. The downside of this feature is the requirement for an internet connection.

There are also many free transcription tools available online, offering varying degrees of effectiveness. oTranscribe , for example, is a free, open-source product with a simple interface that can be used straight from a web browser.

Remarkable though transcription software and apps are, the greatest accuracy is delivered by skilled human transcribers. It is always a good idea, therefore, to carefully proofread any interview transcribed by artificial intelligence.

Read more: What are the best transcription apps and tools?

Ready to transcribe your next interview?

Creating a transcription of an interview gives you a complete, searchable, shareable document that not only boosts the quality of your research, it also saves you time and money and helps to increase the integrity of your work.

So when you have an interview to conduct, don’t think of transcription as an ‘extra’. In today’s content-driven world, it is indispensable.

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Download templates for both detailed transcription and standard transcription. You can use the formats and examples in your own working document.

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How to Analyze Interview Transcripts in Qualitative Research

Rev › Blog › Transcription Blog › How to Analyze Interview Transcripts in Qualitative Research

Studies take time, accuracy, and a drive to provide excellent information, and qualitative research is a critical part of any successful study. You may be wondering how qualitative data adds to a paper or report, given that it’s not the hard “science” we often see highlighted the most often.

How Do You Analyze Qualitative Interviews?

There are two main approaches to qualitative analysis: inductive and deductive . What’s more, there are two types of inductive qualitative analysis to choose from. These are called thematic content analysis and narrative analysis, both of which call for an unstructured approach to research.

Inductive Methods of Analyzing Interview Transcripts

A thematic content analysis begins with weeding out biases and establishing your overarching impressions of the data. Rather than approaching your data with a predetermined framework, identify common themes as you search the materials organically. Your goal is to find common patterns across the data set.

A narrative analysis involves making sense of your interview respondents’ individual stories. Use this type of qualitative data analysis to highlight important aspects of their stories that will best resonate with your readers. And, highlight critical points you have found in other areas of your research.

Deductive Approach to Qualitative Analysis

Deductive analysis , on the other hand, requires a structured or predetermined approach. In this case, the researcher will build categories in advance of their analysis. Then, they’ll map connections in the data to those specific categories.

Each of these qualitative analysis methods lends its benefits to the research effort. Inductive analyses will produce more nuanced findings. Meanwhile, deductive analyses allow the researcher to point to key themes essential to their research.

Successful qualitative research hinges on the accuracy of your data. This can be harder to achieve than with quantitative research. It’s easy to lose important facts and meaning as you transition qualitative data from the source to your published content. This makes transcription a vital tool in maintaining integrity and relaying information in an unbiased way that’s useful for readers and adds appropriate context to the journal or study.

How to Transcribe a Qualitative Interview

Accurate transcription begins early in the interview process, even before you start interviewing. Here are the steps to transcribing a qualitative interview.

1. Collect Feedback for Qualitative Research

There are dozens of ways to gather qualitative data. Recording and accurately transcribing interviews is among the best methods to avoid inaccuracies and data loss, and researchers should consider this approach over simply taking notes firsthand.

Make sure you have a reliable way to record, whether the interview takes place in person, over the phone, or as part of a video call. Depending on the interview method, you may record a video or an audio-only format. Here are some tips depending on where the interview takes place:

• These apps can also be used for over-the-phone interviews.
• For video interviews , we recommend taking advantage of one of our transcription integrations , such as Zoom. Rev also has an API available for those who want to streamline their workflow even further by integrating Rev directly into their processes and platforms.

2. Organize Your Research Recordings

You should ensure that your audio or video files are easy to save, compile, and share. To do this, be sure to adopt easy-to-remember naming conventions as well to ensure they stay organized. An example of a naming convention that is simple to remember and recreate includes “Date.LastNameofSource.Topic”.

3. Transcribe All the Interviews and Focus Group Recordings

The next critical step is transcription. Done manually, this is a long and tedious process that can add hours, days, or even months to your report-writing process. There are dozens of pitfalls when performing transcriptions manually as well, as it can be hard to pick up words spoken in a heavy dialect or quiet tone. You also want to avoid having to transcribe all the “umms” and “ems” that occur when a source is speaking naturally.

Rev provides a variety of transcription services that take the tedium and guesswork out of the research process. You can choose to edit out all of the “umms,” while ensuring that heavy accents or muffled voices are picked up by the recording service.

You can order transcripts from Rev with both audio and video recordings. Once you’ve received your professional transcripts from Rev, you can begin your qualitative analysis.

The 6 Steps of Qualitative Interview Data Analysis

Among qualitative interview data analysis methods, thematic content analysis is perhaps the most common and effective method. It can also be one of the most trustworthy , increasing the traceability and verification of an analysis when done correctly. The following are the six main steps of a successful thematic analysis of your transcripts.

1. Read the Transcripts

By now, you will have accessed your transcript files as digital files in the cloud or have downloaded them to your computer for offline viewing. Start by browsing through your transcripts and making notes of your first impressions. You will be able to identify common themes. This will help you with your final summation of the data.

Next, read through each transcript carefully. Evidence of themes will become stronger, helping you to hone in on important insights.

You must identify bias during this step as well. Biases can appear in the data, among the interviewees, and even within your objectives and methodologies. According to SAGE Publishing , researchers should “acknowledge preconceived notions and actively work to neutralize them” at this early step.

2. Annotate the Transcripts

Annotation is the process of labeling relevant words, phrases, sentences, or sections with codes. These codes help identify important qualitative data types and patterns. Labels can be about actions, activities, concepts, differences, opinions, processes, or whatever you think is relevant.  Annotations will help you organize your data for dissemination .

Be generous with your annotations—don’t hold back. You will have an opportunity to eliminate or consolidate them later. It’s best to do more here, so you don’t have to come back to find more opportunities later.

3. Conceptualize the Data

Conceptualizing qualitative data is the process of aligning data with critical themes you will use in your published content. You will have identified many of these themes during your initial review of the transcripts.

To conceptualize,  create categories and subcategories  by grouping the codes you created during annotation. You may eliminate or combine certain codes rather than using all the codes you created. Keep only the codes you deem relevant to your analysis.

4. Segment the Data

Segmentation is the process of positioning and  connecting your categories . This allows you to establish the bulk of your data cohesively. Start by labeling your categories and then describe the connections between them.

You can use these descriptions to improve your final published content.

• Create a spreadsheet  to easily compile your data.
• Then, use the columns to structure important variables of your data analysis using codes as tools for reference.
• Create a separate tab for the front of the document that contains a coding table. This glossary contains important codes used in the segmentation process. This will help you and others quickly identify what the codes are referring to.

5. Analyze the Segments

You’re now ready to take a  deep dive into your data segments . Start by determining if there is a hierarchy among your categories. Determine if one is more important than the other, or draw a figure to summarize the results. At this stage, you may also want to align qualitative data with any quantitative data you collected.

6. Write the Results

Your analysis of the content is complete—you’re ready to transition your findings into the real body of your content. Use your insights to build and verify theories, answer key questions in your field, and back aims and objectives. Describe your categories and how they are connected using a neutral, objective voice.

Although you will pull heavily from your own research, be sure to publish content in the context of your field. Interpret your results in light of relevant studies, theories, and concepts related to your study.

Why Use Interviews for Qualitative Data

Unlike quantitative data, which is certainly important, a qualitative analysis adds color to academic and business reports. It offers perspective and can make a report more readable, add context, and inspire thoughtful discussion beyond the report.

As we’ve observed, transcribing qualitative interviews is crucial to getting less measurable data from direct sources. They allow researchers to provide relatable stories and perspectives and even quote important contributors directly. Lots of qualitative data from interviews enables authors to avoid embellishment and maintain the integrity of their content as well.

So, how do you conduct interview data analysis on qualitative data to pull key insights and strengthen your reports? Transcribing interviews is one of the most useful tools available for this task.

As a researcher, you need to make the most of recorded interviews . Interview transcripts allow you to use the best qualitative analysis methods. Plus, you can focus only on tasks that add value to your research effort.

Transcription is Essential to Qualitative Research Analysis

Qualitative data is often elusive to researchers. Transcripts allow you to capture original, nuanced responses from your respondents. You get their response naturally using their own words—not a summarized version in your notes.

You can also go back to the original transcript at any time to see what was said as you gain new context. The editable digital transcript files are incredibly easy to work with, saving you time and giving you speaker tags, time marks, and other tools to ensure you can find what you need within a transcript quickly.

When creating a report, accuracy matters, but efficiency matters, as well. Rev offers a seamless way of doing the transcription for you, saving you time and allowing you to focus on high-quality work instead. Consider Rev as your transcription service provider for qualitative research analysis — try Rev’s AI or Human Transcription services today.

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How to Do Interview Transcription for a Dissertation?

Transkriptor 2024-04-23

Interview transcription is a key step in the dissertation process, transforming audio or video interviews into written text. This step allows researchers to closely analyze their data, providing a solid base for their findings.

Accurate transcription is vital in the dissertation process, turning spoken words from interviews into a written format that forms the backbone of qualitative research. It allows researchers to engage deeply with their data, marking significant sections and swiftly navigating through insights, thereby reinforcing the foundational evidence required for a compelling dissertation.

Meet Transkriptor , a leading speech-to-text tool designed to elevate the transcription process for researchers. This tool stands out for its ability to deliver precise, efficient transcriptions, making it an indispensable asset for dissertation work. By leveraging Transkriptor, researchers can ensure that their transcription process is not only faster but also more accurate.

The 6 steps to do interview transcription for a dissertation are listed below.

• Sign Up/Log in to Transkriptor: Create a new account or access an existing one.
• Upload/Record the Interview: Either upload audio/video files from your device or directly record the interview within Transkriptor for transcription.
• Start Transcribing Interview: Choose the language of the recording and let Transkriptor's AI technology accurately transcribe the speech to text.
• Review and Edit: Review and make adjustments to the transcription, ensuring it accurately reflects the interview content.
• Download or Share: After finalizing the transcript, download it in formats like TXT, SRT, or Word, or share it directly from the platform.
• Use the Transcriptions for Analysis: Utilize the accurate and detailed transcripts for in-depth analysis, identifying patterns, themes, and insights in your research.

Step 1: Sign Up/Log In to Transkriptor

The first step for researchers is to either sign up for a new account or log into an existing one on Transkriptor. This platform caters specifically to the needs of academic transcription, providing a streamlined interface for ease of use. Researchers can create an account using their Google accounts or an email address.

Upon completing this initial step, access to Transkriptor's dashboard is granted, allowing for immediate start on transcription tasks. This simple and straightforward process ensures that researchers can quickly begin their work, leveraging the platform's capabilities to facilitate their dissertation transcription needs.

Step 2: Upload/Record the Interview

After logging in, researchers have the capability to upload or record their audio or video files to Transkriptor. Simply click on the “Record” button to start recording. The platform supports a wide range of file formats, including but not limited to MP3, MP4, WAV, and MOV, accommodating virtually any type of audio or video recording used in academic research. Uploading is made flexible through options to drag and drop files directly into the platform or import them from popular cloud storage services like Google Drive or OneDrive. This feature ensures a seamless and secure upload process, allowing researchers to quickly proceed with their transcription tasks without worrying about compatibility or access issues.

Also, consider using Meetingtor . It attends and records the meetings in your calendar and stores them. With one click on the platform, users can get transcriptions via Transkriptor.

Step 3: Start Transcribing Interview

After uploading, researchers start the transcription process on Transkriptor by selecting the recording's language with one click. The platform's AI technology then accurately transcribes speech to text, supporting a broad range of languages to meet diverse research requirements. This ensures precise capture of spoken words, essential for qualitative analysis.

Step 4: Review and Edit

Transkriptor offers an editing feature that allows researchers to review and tweak the transcript while it's being created. This means immediate corrections can be made, helping to make sure the transcript matches the original recording closely. Being able to edit on the go is crucial for catching important details and ensuring the transcript accurately reflects the interview.

This process not only makes work easier but also improves the quality of the final transcript, which is important for research that relies on detailed and accurate data. Through Transkriptor, researchers can be confident that their transcripts are both precise and true to their source material.

Step 5: Download or Share

After editing their transcript, researchers can add details like speaker names and timestamps for clarity. Transkriptor allows downloading in various formats such as TXT, SRT, or Word , suiting different needs. For sharing, the platform enables direct distribution, making it simple to collaborate with others or submit work. This feature ensures transcripts are easily accessible and ready for any next steps in the research process.

Step 6: Use the Transcription for Analysis

Researchers proceed to analysis by coding and organizing data based on the dissertation's methodological framework after completing transcription. This involves identifying patterns and themes and providing meaningful insights from the interview content.

Moreover, researchers can leverage Transkriptor's AI chat feature for additional support during their analysis. This innovative tool assists in interpreting and organizing transcribed data. By integrating AI chat assistance with traditional analysis methods, researchers can navigate the coding process with greater accuracy and generate robust, meaningful outcomes in their research endeavors, making Transkriptor an invaluable ally in qualitative research.

Why is Transcription Crucial for Dissertation Interviews?

Transcription plays a crucial role in dissertation interviews. It accurately captures and preserves spoken words, ensuring data integrity and reliability. Researchers prefer working with transcripts for analysis despite the accessibility of audio and video recordings. This preference arises from easily handling tangible transcripts, facilitating quick access and annotation.

Digital recorders and cameras make recording easy, but transcripts remain more manageable for detailed analyses. Researchers find it advantageous to shuffle pages and mark transcripts with a pencil. The familiarity and convenience of working with paper transcripts persist, even with the availability of qualitative data analysis software. Traditional transcription methods remain the norm for interviews and recordings involving people.

How to Prepare Before Transcribing Dissertation Interviews?

Researchers prepare before transcribing dissertation interviews by considering essential factors. This phase involves organizing recordings, investing in quality equipment, and setting up an efficient workspace.

The steps to prepare before transcribing dissertation interviews are listed below.

• Review Interview Objectives: Gain a clear understanding of the research aims and contextual details.
• Ensure Good Quality Recordings: Focus on acquiring clear and crisp audio, minimizing background noise, and addressing technical glitches.
• Create a Comfortable Workspace: Establish an environment that promotes focus, concentration, and optimal listening.
• Understand Ethical Guidelines: Be aware of confidentiality requirements and relevant data protection rules.

Review Interview Objectives

Researchers initiate transcription by thoroughly reviewing the interview objectives. This involves gaining a clear understanding of the research aims and contextual details. Aligning transcription efforts with these goals ensures purposeful and insightful outcomes. Researchers must delve into key themes, critical topics, and specific study objectives for a detailed transcription decision-making process, fostering a deeper analysis.

Ensure Good Quality Recordings

Prioritizing high-quality audio recordings is essential for effective transcription. Researchers focus on acquiring clear and crisp audio, minimizing background noise, and addressing technical glitches. Checking for audio clarity involves evaluating factors like background noise and potential distortions. Starting with a high-quality recording establishes a reliable foundation for accurate transcription, ensuring an authentic representation of the interview content.

Create a Comfortable Workspace

Crafting a dedicated and comfortable workspace is crucial for the transcription process. Researchers establish an environment that promotes focus, concentration, and optimal listening. A well-designed workspace minimizes distractions, enhancing the ability to immerse in interview content. Consider lighting, seating arrangements, and equipment placement to optimize the workspace for transcription demands.

Understand Ethical Guidelines

Researchers engaging in transcription activities must possess a profound understanding of ethical guidelines. This involves being aware of confidentiality requirements and relevant data protection rules. Upholding ethical standards ensures the responsible treatment of interview participants and their sensitive information.

The commitment to ethical transcription practices includes obtaining informed consent, preserving anonymity, and safeguarding data confidentiality, contributing to the overall integrity of the research process.

What are the Challenges in Transcribing Interviews?

Researchers face critical challenges when preparing for the transcription process. Various hurdles impact accuracy and efficiency, requiring a keen understanding of effective mitigation strategies.

The challenges in transcribing interviews are listed below.

• Poor Audio Quality: Prioritize addressing poor audio quality for accurate transcription.
• Fast-Paced Speech Challenge: Fast-paced speech is difficult to follow and transcribe. Use transcription software or slow down the playback.
• Accents and Dialect Challenge: Navigating the variability introduced by accents and dialects in spoken language requires researchers to adopt specific approaches.
• Background Noise Challenge: Background noise hinders the transcription process, emphasizing the need to create an optimal recording environment.
• Technical Jargon Challenge: Researching technical or unfamiliar terms is essential for grasping their meanings for an accurate transcription.

Poor Audio Quality

Researchers must prioritize addressing poor audio quality for accurate transcription. High-quality recording equipment is pivotal in this process. Investing in noise-canceling software further enhances the clarity of the recorded content, ensuring the faithful representation of spoken words and eliminating potential discrepancies introduced by subpar audio.

Fast-Paced Speech Challenge

Fast-paced speech in transcription demands specific strategies. Utilizing transcription software with adjustable playback speed proves valuable. Slowing down the playback without altering the pitch lets researchers meticulously capture each spoken word. This detailed approach significantly improves transcription accuracy, especially with rapid speech patterns.

Accents and Dialects Challenge

Navigating the variability introduced by accents and dialects in spoken language requires researchers to adopt specific approaches. Familiarize yourself with the specific linguistic characteristics to overcome challenges related to unfamiliar accents. Seeking assistance from individuals proficient in the accent or dialect provides valuable insights, ensuring accurate transcription that reflects the intended communication.

Background Noise Challenge

Background noise hinders the transcription process, emphasizing the need to create an optimal recording environment. Conducting interviews in quiet settings minimizes external disturbances. Additionally, transcription software with noise reduction features proves instrumental in mitigating unwanted sounds during transcription. This dual approach significantly contributes to the overall accuracy of the transcription.

Technical Jargon Challenge

Ensuring accurate transcription when dealing with technical jargon requires a proactive approach. Thoroughly researching unfamiliar terms is essential for grasping their meanings. Alternatively, consulting with the interviewee or subject matter experts provides valuable insights and clarification. This meticulous approach guarantees the transcription captures the intended meaning, even when confronted with specialized language or terminology. Researchers navigate the intricacies of technical content with precision and clarity.

To Overcome Interview Transcription Challenges: Transkriptor

Transcription challenges such as poor audio quality, fast-paced speech, accents, background noise, and technical jargon can significantly hinder the accuracy and efficiency of the transcription process. To overcome these challenges, Transkriptor stands out as a robust solution, employing advanced AI algorithms for precise and reliable transcriptions, minimizing errors.

Transkriptor not only ensures that the transcribed text represents the spoken words but also streamlines the entire process, making it a comprehensive solution for enhancing dissertation transcription accuracy. Try it for free!

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on your time, budget, and the level of accuracy required. Transcribing interviews yourself can be time-consuming but offers closer engagement with your data. Professional services, like Transkriptor, can save time and provide high-quality transcripts, but at a cost.

The format depends on your research needs. Verbatim transcription captures every word and sound, which is useful for detailed analysis.

Mark these sections with a standard notation (e.g., [inaudible] or [unclear]) and the timestamp. If possible, ask the interviewee for clarification on these parts. Consistency in handling these sections is key for accurate analysis.

Follow your academic institution's guidelines for citing primary research data. Typically, you would reference the interviewee (as per your ethics agreement), the date of the interview, and possibly a transcript reference number or page number.

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How to Transcribe an Interview for Dissertation – Part 1

“[I]t is a truism to note that all transcription is in some sense interpretation …” (Cook, 1990, p.12)

In summary, here is how you transcribe your research interviews.

• DIY – Do(ing) it Yourself
• Hire a Professional Transcriber
• Use Software.

In this first post of a 2 part series on how to transcribe an interview for dissertation, I’ll start with a brief overview of the thesis transcription process. Then discuss 3 ways to transcribe your research interviews. And finally make a few remarks on accuracy of the transcripts and audio quality.

Why Transcripts

Before I start talking about how to transcribe your dissertation interviews, just why do it?

The reason we do it is because usually we find it much easier to work with a transcript rather than a recording.

These days it’s very easy to have an audio or video recording of your interviews; digital recorders (if you are looking to buy a voice recorder for your interviews check out this post ) and digital cameras make the whole recording audio or video very, very easy .

But for analysis purposes, researchers still find it easier to work with a transcript, despite the effort that goes into creating the transcripts.

The reason has to do with the fact that you can move around transcripts, you can mark it with a pencil. You can shuffle the pages very quickly and find the bits you want, and you got some very quick random access to it.

Now there are qualitative data analysis software (QDA) that can help with that, and some of QDA programs that I’ll talk about in another post do actually deal with some of those kinds of things, but still not in quite the same easy, familiar way that we used to do with paper.

That becomes even more the case when you are doing very detailed analysis, like conversation analysis or possibly a discourse analysis, where you need a closely transcribed interview to work on. So transcription is still the norm for anything that involves interviews or the recordings of people.

Beware of Transcripts

But Steinar Kvale, a Danish writer, warns us, we have to “beware of transcripts” (97:1988).

Transcripts are not transparent.

Transcription is a change of medium.

There are dangers in transcribing. We tend to lose things. Here are some of the dangers.

Decontextualizing ; take bits out of context, because that is what we are focusing on that passage, and not the longer run of the narrative and so on. We miss the bits that came before and after by taking things out of the context. So while we are listening to a longer narrative or a longer explanation we isolate bits and decontextualize. We maybe miss what the larger conversation was about.

Transcription is a change of medium; we are changing from a verbal expression to a written expression. Things you do verbally in speech, you can’t do in text, or it is very hard to do in text. So you lose some of those things, the intonation, the pace, the speed, the pause and the so on, are often lost.

Perhaps some of the hesitation, some of the gurgling and so on is lost, because it is fine enough as you will see it. So we often have a cleaner version. Now if that is important you need to be very aware of what you’re doing. If it is not important then it doesn’t matter so much, it makes life a bit easier.

Doing the Transcription

Who should do the transcription?

As researchers you will be faced with this choice at some stage. In my mind there are 3 possibilities, do it yourself. Getting an academic transcriber to do it for you, in other words pay someone. Or use some technology to do it. Let us have a few comments about each of those in turn.

DIY – do(ing) it yourself

Thesis Transcription is tedious; it takes an awfully long time to do it.

It also varies with how good of a typist you are, how detailed you are doing it and so on; we will see the different level of detail you can transcribe later on. But you might reckon something in the order of 6 hours per hour of recording to fully transcribe and check something. Maybe you can do it faster maybe you can do it 4 hours for an hour, maybe it takes you longer, but reckon on that kind of figure. So you can see it is a very laborious process, very tedious.

On the other hand it does start you reading your data, or rather listening to your data and actually reading it as you transcribing it.

You begin to get familiar with your data, so there is an advantage to that enormous effort you spend when doing the transcription. You carefully read it and produce new ideas as you check it through it against the audio.

Of course you may have to do it yourself because the original interview is in a language that nobody else can transcribe for you. So if you are anthropologist or if you are doing research in other countries where there are no native speakers locally you can use to help you transcribe your dissertation interviews, then no luck; you have to do it yourself.

Before you can start transcribing your first research interview, you are going to need the right equipment that will help you make the transcription process bearable.

• A computer/laptop. If you plan on using a laptop to transcribe your research interview, I recommend you get an external keyboard and mouse. Regardless, it’s best to set up a transcription desk so that you can focus on the transcription.
• Transcription software. Express Scribe is a good “free” one. Personally I use F4. If you’re a mac user, here’s a great post on mac transcription software.
• A good pair of headphones/headsets. Headphones that are great for transcribing are comfortable (you’re going to wear them for hours on end), durable (you don’t want them to stop working while you’re transcribing), and improve dialogue intelligibility. Here’s another great post with some recommendations.
• Foot Pedal. I’d say this is optional. But can help you transcribe faster – especially if you’re not a touch typist. More on transcription foot pedals here .

There are lots of ways of doing a transcription, and here is one approach, which I have seen often recommended for novice transcribers.

It is a 3 stage process, so you kind of level 1, you go through the recording. So you listen through the recording, get familiar with it. Just listen to the whole thing in one go. Create a kind of table of contents, so just take notes as you go through, just a word or 2, that helps you know what is there.

Then make a rough transcription. So you might actually type up your notes into a word processor. Open up a file, start the recording again and as you come to your notes you can extend, type some more in. Pause the recording if you need to, but try not to, never rewind the recording, don’t go back and re-listen to things, try to avoid that, we are trying to speed things up here.

I have heard it takes 2-3 hours of tape to go through and do that, of course unless you can type very fast you will have to pause. So, try not to rewind because that will just take an awful lot of time.

Once you have done that, you have something that is readable, you will have lots of typos, perhaps there will be bits missing, bits not quite right and so on. So, at that stage you can go through it again and listen to the recording against the transcript and make sure it is accurate. In that case you know you need to edit it, and get it correct. That takes another you know, whatever it is, 2 hours perhaps for an hour of recording to do that, maybe longer.

Some people found like quite a useful method. Again it is up to you, if you prefer to do things accurately from the go – like I do, fine. Best of all is if you can use a transcription software. The advantage of a transcription software are 2 fold. 1) You control it with a foot pedal. So, you can sit on your computer typing while you are turning on and off with your foot. That is great.

2) Transcription software have built in an automatic rewind. So every time you pause it, before it starts playing again when you start it playing, it rewinds a small amount, and you can often change that on most software. You can actually vary the amount of rewind from half a second to 2 seconds, whatever you want.

Actually round about a second you are probably okay, when you pause something should you lose a bit, you normally lose about half a second. And actually half a second is about 1 or 2 words you miss, so you need to rewind. Having to rewind a bit more than that, is sometimes helpful because you can hear it overlap. You just have to figure out what works for you. You can also use a hotkey to control playback with most transcription software.

Hire an Academic Transcriber

If you can get some money, and this is important when you are applying for a research grant, make sure there is enough money in the grant to pay somebody else to transcribe your oral interviews for you. It will save you a lot of time and you can concentrate on analysis and writing of you dissertation. If you can pay somebody else to do it fine. It is quicker, it cost money.

Transcribers make mistakes and you need to make sure you check the transcripts. Reviewing the transcripts also helps you get to know the data before you start the analysis. It helps if your transcriber knows something about the context. Because if they know about what is going on, what to expect, then it helps.

Technical terms, medical terms, clinical terms those kinds of things are quite hard to transcribe. So either help the transcriber by giving them a set of those terms or find someone who specializes in academic transcription to transcribe your dissertation interviews for you.

Although they are not typing it, again you got to check it, so you can use that checking it as a first opportunity to get familiar with the transcript, and begin to see and remind yourself of what the interview is about.

Use Software

The 3 rd possibility is to use software technology (or artificial intelligence) to help you transcribe.

There are software available that basically you can dictate to, and it converts your word or your dictations into typed texted. Dragon is the market leader in this field. I have used them and they are not that good, they are not accurate. They tend to work well with very good quality sound, so you have to have special mics, and probably you need to get one with the package.

You need to teach it with your own voice. So you can’t use it to transcribe interviews. Even if it recognizes the first voice, it will go completely wrong on the second voice. One thing you can do with it is to do both things at once. Listen to your tape and speak it again into the software. I have tried that, it is very hard to do it, you have to get used to doing it.

It is a bit like parallel translation. So you hear something coming in your ear and then you say the same words, speaking through the mic which then gets converted into texts on the computer. If you have got a regional accent that is fine. I find if I speak slightly American it is better, you don’t have to. I just find that, but maybe that is just me.

But you do need to preserver, you need to train it in your own voice and it should pick up regional accents. In fact there are now different versions for international accents. So there is a version for British English, there is a version for American English, there is a version for Indian English and so on, so those are even covered to some extent.

Then there are online automated machine transcription services. Most of them use a Google, Amazon, Microsoft or IBM speech recognition engines. There are lot of services to choose from, and more come online everyday. They don’t require you to train the AI and they tend to produce a more accurate transcript that Dragon et al.

The main disadvantages of these services is the low accuracy rate, especially if your recordings are not awesome (have a little background noise etc), accents, speaker designation, and maintaining confidentiality.

Interviewee Review?

Once you have got the transcripts, they need to be accurate. You can go back to the interviewee to check with them. See if the transcripts is an accurate recording of what they said. Or rather what they meant to say.

That is the trouble, they remember what they meant, not what they said, because you got directly what they said, and I can guarantee you can make it accurate from what they said. So, what if they disagree with the transcript?

Well you can try and treat it as new data, so they have said one thing and we later come back with the transcript and they disagree what they said, not what they said for sure but maybe not what they meant to say but that is what they actually said. So, why are they changing their minds?

You can ask them, is it embarrassment, is it something that has happened in the meantime, maybe they boss has talked to them and they don’t want to do these things anymore. Maybe they have actually changed their mind themselves. Maybe rather peer pressure is making them change their mind.

So, you could trace in that kind of way, keep both the old data and the new data and treat the whole thing as a kind of exercise, focusing in on really crucial things that are written there.

However interviewees may want statements erased, and usually they have a right to do that. They will have signed a fully informed consent form that says they can withdraw at any moment. So, they got the rights, I don’t want that used or I withdraw completely, so you’re stuck a bit.

Good Audio Recordings

And finally, I have talked about transcribers making errors but errors occur for all sorts of reasons. A good quality recording helps. So, if it is poor quality recording, it is will be harder to hear what it is on it.

Even if it is you doing your own transcription, listening to your own voice, and adding the respondent who you were interviewing the week before, you would have forgotten what was being said in the interview. So, a good quality recording is vital.

I find a good microphone, a lapel mic works really well when plugged into a digital recorder. That works really well especially in noisy areas. In a quiet room, a digital recorder (here are a few digital voice recorders that I recommend) will capture great quality interviews.

That’s it for this first part on how to transcribe an interview for dissertation. If you have any burning questions post them below and I’ll be more than happy to answer them.

In the second and final post in this series on how to transcribe interviews for dissertation I get into the minutia of transcription mechanics: how do you transcribe? What are the different styles of dissertation interview transcription (with examples)?And I share a cover page template you can use.

If you find transcribing your dissertation interviews to be a chore – get in touch. We’ll be glad to transcribe them for you.

References.

Ashmore, Malcolm & Reed, Darren (2000). Innocence and Nostalgia in Conversation Analysis: The Dynamic Relations of Tape and Transcript . Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(3), Art. 3.

Cook, Guy (1990). Transcribing infinity: Problems of context presentation. Journal of Pragmatics, 14, 1-24.

Have, Paul ten (1990). Methodological issues in conversation analysis. Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique, 27 (June), 23-51.

Jefferson, Gail (1985). An exercise in the transcription and analysis of laughter. In T. Van Dijk (Ed.), Handbook of Discourse Analysis, Vol. 3: Discourse and Dialogue (pp.25-34). London, UK: Academic Press.

Ochs, Elinor (1979). Transcription as theory. In E. Ochs & B. Schieffelin (Eds.), Developmental Pragmatics. New York: Academic Press.

Thanks for the post, really helpful. I’m planning to use the Olympus/Dragon package, do you have any experience with this combo?

Hi Ana, I’ve not used Olympus digital recorder and dragon software. From my experience, dragon voice recognition only works well with dictations. The moment you have multiple voices in an audio, it fails. Isaac

Is it possible to transcribe interview onto nvivo with Sony icd ux570

Many thanks

Ana, thanks for getting in touch. The main purpose of voice recorders it to record your interviews. Some do have a “transcription mode”, which is a playback mode that allows you to fast-forward or fast-rewind the your interview recording to search for a particular point and also to use the DPC (Digital Pitch Control) function to slow the playback. That’s all it does. You will need to listen to the interview, and type out the transcript in nVivo. Personally, I find the function inadequate and possibly misleading. For it doesn’t have the basic functions of a transcription software or hardware of old. Nvivo does come with an audio playback functionality that is better, and there are lots of other audio playback softwares that you can use for transcription that are better than using the recorder. My advice is to use the recorder to record your interview, transfer the interview to your computer and then use a software of your choice to help you transcribe your interviews.

Hope that helps.

I was wondering if it is OK to type only the answers of the the people I interviewed or if I am required to type the questions every time even though they will be the same questions for each participant?

Thank you for your help.

Yes, it’s okay to only type the answers. I’d recommend, though, that you reference the question in the transcript. You can use tags, for instance Q1 for the first question, etc. Also you might want to share the transcripts with other researchers or your advisor, having the questions in the transcripts will help them contextualize the content.

All the best in your research. Regards, Isaac

I used express scribe to bring in my audio recorded interviews and then play it back at 75% speed and type it myself. Took a while but was easy to use and free.

Hi Sarah. Yes, express scribe is a good software (though I do have a love/hate relationship with it!). Would it be helpful if I did a review of transcription software I use? Isaac

Voice Typing under tools in Google Docs is exceptionally accurate and provides translation in many languages. I would consider it as a cost-effective alternative…

Thanks Annie. If you don’t mind could you please provide more information on how you used the Google Docs voice typing tools in your research. I’m sure other researchers would appreciate it…

A really useful post, thank you. I especially like the quote at the beginning – so true. I am using MAXQDA and finding it usable so far, although only just started. I am transcribing a group semi-structured interview, a discussion really. Is it okay to write something like ‘all agree’ rather than go into the exact words of the individuals? And if one of them (they are children) goes off on a tangent, can I miss that bit out?

Sarah, I don’t know much about your study’s methodology, so my answer has to be yes and no. Depending on your methodology, it may make sense to edit out some stuff and have placeholders. But generally no. And here’s why. When transcribing, you are not analyzing. So your aim is to create a “faithful” representation of the conversation/interview. You don’t know, and should not know, what is useful or not. You do want to transcribe as much information as possible. Let me share a personal example. During my thesis, a participant said an off-hand comment. It did not speak to my study’s goal and objectives – and it was really hard to hear what they said. But I transcribed it anyway. It was only at the end of my thesis writing that I realized that that off-hand comment was the key to explaining the phenomena that I was researching. My advice, be consistent and either transcribe everything or nothing. Hope that helps, Isaac

Hi Isaac, very informative articles! I’m in the process of writing my first book. I own an independent tv news studio servicing the news networks for remote “live shots” I have all the necessary equipment for broadcast, but I’m a “tech junkie” and get excited over buying new gear! So, for audio I already own Sony XLR ECM 77 mics, I have several Tascam DR40’s a Tascam DR05. But as I’m reading your posts and others online, I see your recommendation for the Sony ICDUX560BLK Digital Voice Recorder and the Giant Squid lab mics. I own a few of the Azden 503 models (cheaper mics) and was thinking about using them with my Tascam DR05.

Do you think the Sony 560 Digital Audio Recorder and the Giant Squid Mics will be a much better setup to go with? I also plan to use the DR40 with one of the Sony XLR ECM 77’s as a backup audio recording and double mic myself to both recorders.

My studio is fully soundproofed so ambient noise is not an issue when recording. I plan on sending my audio recordings to a professional transcription service afterward. I see you provided a link in your article. I will check it out!

What do you suggest? But the Sony Recorder and Squid Mics or stay with what I have?

Hi Scott. Both of those mics are more than adequate (for transcription purposes) for voice recording in a studio. You are not going to get better audio using the ux560 and giant squid. My advice, use what you have. My only concern would be the Tascams. I own a DR05 and I get radio interference whenever I place it next to my smartphone. I don’t know if the DR40 has the same issue. Provided you keep the DRO5 away from microwaves, it’s a wonderful recorder. All the best. Isaac

This is a good read. I am about to transcribe an interview I conducted and I was wondering how and what is the best way to transcribe. After reading this, I will just go ahead and listen to the recording and type out the responses to aid with my analysis. Thank you!!!

Glad I helped.

Qualitative Data Coding 101

How to code qualitative data, the smart way (with examples).

By: Jenna Crosley (PhD) | Reviewed by:Dr Eunice Rautenbach | December 2020

As we’ve discussed previously , qualitative research makes use of non-numerical data – for example, words, phrases or even images and video. To analyse this kind of data, the first dragon you’ll need to slay is  qualitative data coding  (or just “coding” if you want to sound cool). But what exactly is coding and how do you do it? 

Overview: Qualitative Data Coding

In this post, we’ll explain qualitative data coding in simple terms. Specifically, we’ll dig into:

• What exactly qualitative data coding is
• What different types of coding exist
• How to code qualitative data (the process)
• Moving from coding to qualitative analysis
• Tips and tricks for quality data coding

What is qualitative data coding?

Let’s start by understanding what a code is. At the simplest level,  a code is a label that describes the content  of a piece of text. For example, in the sentence:

“Pigeons attacked me and stole my sandwich.”

You could use “pigeons” as a code. This code simply describes that the sentence involves pigeons.

So, building onto this,  qualitative data coding is the process of creating and assigning codes to categorise data extracts.   You’ll then use these codes later down the road to derive themes and patterns for your qualitative analysis (for example, thematic analysis ). Coding and analysis can take place simultaneously, but it’s important to note that coding does not necessarily involve identifying themes (depending on which textbook you’re reading, of course). Instead, it generally refers to the process of  labelling and grouping similar types of data  to make generating themes and analysing the data more manageable. 

Makes sense? Great. But why should you bother with coding at all? Why not just look for themes from the outset? Well, coding is a way of making sure your  data is valid . In other words, it helps ensure that your  analysis is undertaken systematically  and that other researchers can review it (in the world of research, we call this transparency). In other words, good coding is the foundation of high-quality analysis.

What are the different types of coding?

Now that we’ve got a plain-language definition of coding on the table, the next step is to understand what overarching types of coding exist – in other words, coding approaches . Let’s start with the two main approaches, inductive and deductive .

With deductive coding, you, as the researcher, begin with a set of  pre-established codes  and apply them to your data set (for example, a set of interview transcripts). Inductive coding on the other hand, works in reverse, as you create the set of codes based on the data itself – in other words, the codes emerge from the data. Let’s take a closer look at both.

Deductive coding 101

With deductive coding, we make use of pre-established codes, which are developed before you interact with the present data. This usually involves drawing up a set of  codes based on a research question or previous research . You could also use a code set from the codebook of a previous study.

For example, if you were studying the eating habits of college students, you might have a research question along the lines of 

“What foods do college students eat the most?”

As a result of this research question, you might develop a code set that includes codes such as “sushi”, “pizza”, and “burgers”.  

Deductive coding allows you to approach your analysis with a very tightly focused lens and quickly identify relevant data . Of course, the downside is that you could miss out on some very valuable insights as a result of this tight, predetermined focus. 

Inductive coding 101 

But what about inductive coding? As we touched on earlier, this type of coding involves jumping right into the data and then developing the codes  based on what you find  within the data. 

For example, if you were to analyse a set of open-ended interviews , you wouldn’t necessarily know which direction the conversation would flow. If a conversation begins with a discussion of cats, it may go on to include other animals too, and so you’d add these codes as you progress with your analysis. Simply put, with inductive coding, you “go with the flow” of the data.

Inductive coding is great when you’re researching something that isn’t yet well understood because the coding derived from the data helps you explore the subject. Therefore, this type of coding is usually used when researchers want to investigate new ideas or concepts , or when they want to create new theories. 

A little bit of both… hybrid coding approaches

If you’ve got a set of codes you’ve derived from a research topic, literature review or a previous study (i.e. a deductive approach), but you still don’t have a rich enough set to capture the depth of your qualitative data, you can  combine deductive and inductive  methods – this is called a  hybrid  coding approach. 

To adopt a hybrid approach, you’ll begin your analysis with a set of a priori codes (deductive) and then add new codes (inductive) as you work your way through the data. Essentially, the hybrid coding approach provides the best of both worlds, which is why it’s pretty common to see this in research.

Need a helping hand?

How to code qualitative data

Now that we’ve looked at the main approaches to coding, the next question you’re probably asking is “how do I actually do it?”. Let’s take a look at the  coding process , step by step.

Both inductive and deductive methods of coding typically occur in two stages:  initial coding  and  line by line coding . 

In the initial coding stage, the objective is to get a general overview of the data by reading through and understanding it. If you’re using an inductive approach, this is also where you’ll develop an initial set of codes. Then, in the second stage (line by line coding), you’ll delve deeper into the data and (re)organise it according to (potentially new) codes. 

Step 1 – Initial coding

The first step of the coding process is to identify  the essence  of the text and code it accordingly. While there are various qualitative analysis software packages available, you can just as easily code textual data using Microsoft Word’s “comments” feature. 

Let’s take a look at a practical example of coding. Assume you had the following interview data from two interviewees:

What pets do you have?

I have an alpaca and three dogs.

Only one alpaca? They can die of loneliness if they don’t have a friend.

I didn’t know that! I’ll just have to get five more. 

I have twenty-three bunnies. I initially only had two, I’m not sure what happened. 

In the initial stage of coding, you could assign the code of “pets” or “animals”. These are just initial,  fairly broad codes  that you can (and will) develop and refine later. In the initial stage, broad, rough codes are fine – they’re just a starting point which you will build onto in the second stage. 

How to decide which codes to use

But how exactly do you decide what codes to use when there are many ways to read and interpret any given sentence? Well, there are a few different approaches you can adopt. The  main approaches  to initial coding include:

• In vivo coding 

Process coding

• Open coding

Descriptive coding

Structural coding.

• Value coding

Let’s take a look at each of these:

In vivo coding

When you use in vivo coding , you make use of a  participants’ own words , rather than your interpretation of the data. In other words, you use direct quotes from participants as your codes. By doing this, you’ll avoid trying to infer meaning, rather staying as close to the original phrases and words as possible. 

In vivo coding is particularly useful when your data are derived from participants who speak different languages or come from different cultures. In these cases, it’s often difficult to accurately infer meaning due to linguistic or cultural differences. 

For example, English speakers typically view the future as in front of them and the past as behind them. However, this isn’t the same in all cultures. Speakers of Aymara view the past as in front of them and the future as behind them. Why? Because the future is unknown, so it must be out of sight (or behind us). They know what happened in the past, so their perspective is that it’s positioned in front of them, where they can “see” it. 

In a scenario like this one, it’s not possible to derive the reason for viewing the past as in front and the future as behind without knowing the Aymara culture’s perception of time. Therefore, in vivo coding is particularly useful, as it avoids interpretation errors.

Next up, there’s process coding , which makes use of  action-based codes . Action-based codes are codes that indicate a movement or procedure. These actions are often indicated by gerunds (words ending in “-ing”) – for example, running, jumping or singing.

Process coding is useful as it allows you to code parts of data that aren’t necessarily spoken, but that are still imperative to understanding the meaning of the texts. 

An example here would be if a participant were to say something like, “I have no idea where she is”. A sentence like this can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the context and movements of the participant. The participant could shrug their shoulders, which would indicate that they genuinely don’t know where the girl is; however, they could also wink, showing that they do actually know where the girl is. 

Simply put, process coding is useful as it allows you to, in a concise manner, identify the main occurrences in a set of data and provide a dynamic account of events. For example, you may have action codes such as, “describing a panda”, “singing a song about bananas”, or “arguing with a relative”.

Descriptive coding aims to summarise extracts by using a  single word or noun  that encapsulates the general idea of the data. These words will typically describe the data in a highly condensed manner, which allows the researcher to quickly refer to the content. 

Descriptive coding is very useful when dealing with data that appear in forms other than traditional text – i.e. video clips, sound recordings or images. For example, a descriptive code could be “food” when coding a video clip that involves a group of people discussing what they ate throughout the day, or “cooking” when coding an image showing the steps of a recipe. 

Structural coding involves labelling and describing  specific structural attributes  of the data. Generally, it includes coding according to answers to the questions of “ who ”, “ what ”, “ where ”, and “ how ”, rather than the actual topics expressed in the data. This type of coding is useful when you want to access segments of data quickly, and it can help tremendously when you’re dealing with large data sets. 

For example, if you were coding a collection of theses or dissertations (which would be quite a large data set), structural coding could be useful as you could code according to different sections within each of these documents – i.e. according to the standard  dissertation structure . What-centric labels such as “hypothesis”, “literature review”, and “methodology” would help you to efficiently refer to sections and navigate without having to work through sections of data all over again. 

Structural coding is also useful for data from open-ended surveys. This data may initially be difficult to code as they lack the set structure of other forms of data (such as an interview with a strict set of questions to be answered). In this case, it would useful to code sections of data that answer certain questions such as “who?”, “what?”, “where?” and “how?”.

Let’s take a look at a practical example. If we were to send out a survey asking people about their dogs, we may end up with a (highly condensed) response such as the following: 

Bella is my best friend. When I’m at home I like to sit on the floor with her and roll her ball across the carpet for her to fetch and bring back to me. I love my dog.

In this set, we could code  Bella  as “who”,  dog  as “what”,  home  and  floor  as “where”, and  roll her ball  as “how”. 

Values coding

Finally, values coding involves coding that relates to the  participant’s worldviews . Typically, this type of coding focuses on excerpts that reflect the values, attitudes, and beliefs of the participants. Values coding is therefore very useful for research exploring cultural values and intrapersonal and experiences and actions.   

To recap, the aim of initial coding is to understand and  familiarise yourself with your data , to  develop an initial code set  (if you’re taking an inductive approach) and to take the first shot at  coding your data . The coding approaches above allow you to arrange your data so that it’s easier to navigate during the next stage, line by line coding (we’ll get to this soon). 

While these approaches can all be used individually, it’s important to remember that it’s possible, and potentially beneficial, to  combine them . For example, when conducting initial coding with interviews, you could begin by using structural coding to indicate who speaks when. Then, as a next step, you could apply descriptive coding so that you can navigate to, and between, conversation topics easily. 

Step 2 – Line by line coding

Once you’ve got an overall idea of our data, are comfortable navigating it and have applied some initial codes, you can move on to line by line coding. Line by line coding is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – reviewing your data, line by line,  digging deeper  and assigning additional codes to each line. 

With line-by-line coding, the objective is to pay close attention to your data to  add detail  to your codes. For example, if you have a discussion of beverages and you previously just coded this as “beverages”, you could now go deeper and code more specifically, such as “coffee”, “tea”, and “orange juice”. The aim here is to scratch below the surface. This is the time to get detailed and specific so as to capture as much richness from the data as possible. 

In the line-by-line coding process, it’s useful to  code everything  in your data, even if you don’t think you’re going to use it (you may just end up needing it!). As you go through this process, your coding will become more thorough and detailed, and you’ll have a much better understanding of your data as a result of this, which will be incredibly valuable in the analysis phase.

Moving from coding to analysis

Once you’ve completed your initial coding and line by line coding, the next step is to  start your analysis . Of course, the coding process itself will get you in “analysis mode” and you’ll probably already have some insights and ideas as a result of it, so you should always keep notes of your thoughts as you work through the coding.  

When it comes to qualitative data analysis, there are  many different types of analyses  (we discuss some of the  most popular ones here ) and the type of analysis you adopt will depend heavily on your research aims, objectives and questions . Therefore, we’re not going to go down that rabbit hole here, but we’ll cover the important first steps that build the bridge from qualitative data coding to qualitative analysis.

When starting to think about your analysis, it’s useful to  ask yourself  the following questions to get the wheels turning:

• What actions are shown in the data? 
• What are the aims of these interactions and excerpts? What are the participants potentially trying to achieve?
• How do participants interpret what is happening, and how do they speak about it? What does their language reveal?
• What are the assumptions made by the participants? 
• What are the participants doing? What is going on? 
• Why do I want to learn about this? What am I trying to find out? 
• Why did I include this particular excerpt? What does it represent and how?

Code categorisation

Categorisation is simply the process of reviewing everything you’ve coded and then  creating code categories  that can be used to guide your future analysis. In other words, it’s about creating categories for your code set. Let’s take a look at a practical example.

If you were discussing different types of animals, your initial codes may be “dogs”, “llamas”, and “lions”. In the process of categorisation, you could label (categorise) these three animals as “mammals”, whereas you could categorise “flies”, “crickets”, and “beetles” as “insects”. By creating these code categories, you will be making your data more organised, as well as enriching it so that you can see new connections between different groups of codes. 

Theme identification

From the coding and categorisation processes, you’ll naturally start noticing themes. Therefore, the logical next step is to  identify and clearly articulate the themes  in your data set. When you determine themes, you’ll take what you’ve learned from the coding and categorisation and group it all together to develop themes. This is the part of the coding process where you’ll try to draw meaning from your data, and start to  produce a narrative . The nature of this narrative depends on your research aims and objectives, as well as your research questions (sounds familiar?) and the  qualitative data analysis method  you’ve chosen, so keep these factors front of mind as you scan for themes. 

Tips & tricks for quality coding

Before we wrap up, let’s quickly look at some general advice, tips and suggestions to ensure your qualitative data coding is top-notch.

• Before you begin coding,  plan out the steps  you will take and the coding approach and technique(s) you will follow to avoid inconsistencies. 
• When adopting deductive coding, it’s useful to  use a codebook  from the start of the coding process. This will keep your work organised and will ensure that you don’t forget any of your codes. 
• Whether you’re adopting an inductive or deductive approach,  keep track of the meanings  of your codes and remember to revisit these as you go along.
• Avoid using synonyms  for codes that are similar, if not the same. This will allow you to have a more uniform and accurate coded dataset and will also help you to not get overwhelmed by your data.
• While coding, make sure that you  remind yourself of your aims  and coding method. This will help you to  avoid  directional drift , which happens when coding is not kept consistent. 
• If you are working in a team, make sure that everyone has  been trained and understands  how codes need to be assigned. 

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31 Comments

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• Transcribing an Interview | 5 Steps & Transcription Software

Transcribing an Interview | 5 Steps & Transcription Software

Published on 6 May 2022 by Raimo Streefkerk .

Transcribing is converting speech to text word for word. Transcribing is a common practice when conducting interviews because it enables you to perform analysis.

How to transcribe an interview in five steps:

• Choose your preferred transcription method.
• Transcribe the audio (using transcription software ).
• Add speaker designation and time stamps.
• Clarify the transcript where needed.
• Proofread the transcript.

Transcription software comparison

Table of contents

Transcription methods, altering the transcript, example transcript, analysing interview transcripts, transcription software.

Before you start transcribing, you first need to determine what transcription method you want to use. The best method depends on the goal of your transcription.

Verbatim transcription

Write down every single word, including pauses, the expression of emotions such as laughter, stuttering, and hesitations such as ‘uh’.

This type of transcription is mostly used in the legal profession or in research where you’re not only interested in what is said but also how it is said.

Intelligent verbatim transcription (most common)

Write down every word, but without irrelevant fillers like ‘um’, ‘yeah’, and ‘you know’. To improve readability, you can also fix grammar mistakes, broken sentences, and long paragraphs.

This method is more readable than verbatim transcription, but some data – such as emotions, pauses and hesitation – is lost in the process.

Edited transcription

A summarised and edited version of an intelligent verbatim transcript. In addition to omitting fillers like ‘you know’, irrelevant sentences can be omitted if it doesn’t change the meaning of the story.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

If the audio quality is bad or the conversation itself needs clarification, you are allowed to make changes in the transcript. For instance:

• Adding a clarifying comment: ‘I showed him that this option [raising prices] would be beneficial for profitability.’
• Marking unclear or missing audio with ellipses: ‘I showed him … would be beneficial for profitability.’
• Emphasising words: ‘ Increasing prices is needed for profitability.’

There are no rules for formatting and structuring a transcript. However, most transcripts contain the following information:

• Names of the interviewer and interviewee (can be anonymised)
• Date and time when the interview took place
• Location of the interview
• Speaker designation (who says what?)
• Line numbers and time stamps (optional)

After transcribing the interview(s) it is time to start analysing. There are several techniques for doing this – coding and categorising is one of them.

This means that you link keywords (e.g., ‘understanding customer’) to the answers you’ve received to your questions. Based on these keywords you are able to find connections between the answers of different respondents.

You can also use methods such as content analysis , thematic analysis , or discourse analysis .

If you quote from an interview in your paper, make sure you correctly cite the source. Learn how to cite an interview in MLA and APA .

Transcribing interviews takes a lot of time, but luckily transcription software is developing quickly. Using transcription software can help you speed up the process.

Most software is able to accurately convert English speech to text. However, the audio quality must be good in order for the software to work. That means a noise-free background, no over-talk, clear accents and good microphones.

If the audio quality is too poor for automatic transcription, you unfortunately have to dictate it or transcribe it manually.

We tested and reviewed the transcription software below using the audio of a YouTube video in which Bill Gates is interviewed . The audio meets all the criteria listed above.

Happy Scribe

• Speaker recognition
• Clean and intuitive editor
• Omits ‘uhs’ and stuttering
• Correct capitalisation and use of full stops
• 25% student discount
• Doesn’t insert punctuation (except for full stops)

• Good speaker recognition
• Simple but powerful interface
• Comment and highlight feature
• Ignores intro music from video
• Easy to keep track of reviewing progress
• Some missing spaces

• Solid speaker recognition
• Very good capitalisation and punctuation (including commas)
• Much cheaper than other transcription software
• Just a 1-minute trial
• Dated editor with limited functionality
• Doesn’t connect audio and transcript
• $20 (approx. £16.25) annual licence fee

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2022, May 06). Transcribing an Interview | 5 Steps & Transcription Software. Scribbr. Retrieved 27 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/research-methods/transcribing-an-interview/

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Raimo Streefkerk

Other students also liked, doing survey research | a step-by-step guide & examples, types of interviews in research | guide & examples, structured interview | definition, guide & examples.

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Dissertation Interview – A Short Guide With Helpful Tips

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A dissertation interview is a vital tool in academic research, often serving as a primary source in data collection . These structured, semi-structured, or unstructured dialogues provide detailed and firsthand insights into the research topic, supplementing or extending other research methods. The design, execution, and analysis of dissertation interviews require careful planning and a clear understanding of the research question to ensure they contribute effectively to the overarching thesis. This guide aims to guide students with helpful tips for dissertation interviews.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1 Dissertation Interview – In a Nutshell
• 2 Definition: Dissertation interview
• 3 Including a dissertation interview
• 4 Referring to a dissertation interview
• 5 Quoting a dissertation interview
• 6 Using the name of the interviewee from the dissertation interview

Dissertation Interview – In a Nutshell

• Transcribe the interview accurately for inclusion in the dissertation.
• Situations in which you cannot include a dissertation interview transcript in your appendix.
• How to quote a dissertation interview in your dissertation
• What to consider when using the name of the interviewee.

Definition: Dissertation interview

A dissertation interview is a method of primary data collection used in academic research, typically undertaken for a dissertation or thesis. It can be in the form of a structured, semi-structured, or unstructured interview between the researcher and the interviewee(s), with the goal of gaining detailed, firsthand insights into the research topic. The interview questions are formulated based on the research objectives, and the responses are used to support or explore the thesis argument in depth. The information derived from such interviews often complements secondary data or may serve as the primary basis for the research findings.

• Closed questions only allow for a limited number of predetermined answers.
• Open questions encourage individuals to contribute details of their thoughts and feelings.

Including a dissertation interview

You have conducted interviews as part of your descriptive study for your dissertation. How do you incorporate them? There is a high possibility you do not know what is anticipated since no one ever told you.

Transcribing interviews is a condition for using them in dissertations. This may be accomplished with the use of transcribing software. The transcripts of the interviews might be included as an appendix. Due to the length of the appendix, it may be necessary to submit it as a separate document after discussing your dissertation interview with your supervisor. It is essential to have proof that interviews were conducted.

Referring to a dissertation interview

Include the transcripts of the interviews in an appendix, and then refer to them throughout your dissertation via paraphrasing. This is how paraphrasing works:

• Interviewee A claims that (Appendix 1).
• Through conversation with B, it became apparent that (Appendix 1)

There may be cases when you cannot include a dissertation interview transcript in your appendix. If we cannot make any references to the interview, it may be cited in the following way if you are using the APA format .

• Person A claims that (Individual conversation, December 24th, 2012).

Quoting a dissertation interview

You must use quotation marks if you take someone else’s statements in a dissertation interview. Finding fascinating quotations will be much simpler if you understand how to pull useful data out of the individual during the dissertation interview. It’s important to maintain professionalism throughout the dissertation interview.

Using the name of the interviewee from the dissertation interview

Do not copy down the interviewee’s name without considering these two things:

If the identity is important to the study and you have obtained the interviewee’s consent to use it, then you can go ahead. You may use a description instead if you are not authorized to use the name.

How is an interview included in a dissertation?

Use a transitional phrase like “according to” or another reference when introducing your interview in the piece. Likewise, tailor your responses to the particular dissertation interview format you are using. Doing so will give your paper a more credible and convincing character.

Is there a certain number of questions posed in a dissertation interview?

Use two or three queries to get started. Research may become overwhelming in scope if excessive questions are asked. For this reason, you should begin with no more than two or three research topics, but some studies may have more.

When writing a dissertation, how long should an interview last?

They normally take 30 minutes to a few hours to complete and are only done once. It’s common practice in many fields to conduct interviews to gather information.

How likely is it that a dissertation interview will be turned down?

The truth is that defending a dissertation is tough and that some students have theirs turned down. All the academics showing you the ropes on how to write a dissertation that will get you accepted have been rejected at some time in their careers.

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The Ultimate Guide to Qualitative Research - Part 2: Handling Qualitative Data

• Handling qualitative data
• Introduction

Introduction to transcripts in qualitative research

Understanding the transcription process, practical insights: transcription in action, using transcription services, challenges in transcription.

• Field notes
• Survey data and responses
• Visual and audio data
• Data organization
• Data coding
• Coding frame
• Auto and smart coding
• Organizing codes
• Qualitative data analysis
• Content analysis
• Thematic analysis
• Thematic analysis vs. content analysis
• Narrative research
• Phenomenological research
• Discourse analysis
• Grounded theory
• Deductive reasoning
• Inductive reasoning
• Inductive vs. deductive reasoning
• Qualitative data interpretation
• Qualitative analysis software

Research transcripts

Conducting qualitative interviews or focus groups is only the first part of data collection in a qualitative research project. For most qualitative data analysis , you need to turn those audio or video files into written transcripts. While this may seem self-evident to many researchers, much discussion has taken place about transcripts, best research practices for generating them, the debate between transcription services and human transcription, and so much more.

Qualitative data transcription holds a key role in research , acting as the building blocks from which findings are derived and conclusions are drawn. They are the textual representation of verbal data gathered through interviews , focus groups , and observational studies . Given their significance, it's essential to grasp why they are fundamental to qualitative research.

What is the importance of transcripts in research?

The importance of transcripts in research lies in their ability to convert spoken language into written form, making data analysis significantly more manageable. Transcripts act as the raw material for your analysis , creating a tangible record of the conversations and discussions that form the basis of your research. They provide a precise, detailed account of the verbal data collected, enabling researchers to review the information repeatedly and uncover layers of meaning that might be overlooked when listening to the recording .

Transcripts help researchers systematically organize and manage the data, especially when dealing with large volumes of information. They make it easier to search for specific themes, patterns, or keywords, thereby speeding up the data analysis process. Furthermore, transcripts facilitate the sharing of data among researchers, allowing for collaborative analysis and review. They also ensure the transparency of your research by providing a permanent record that can be scrutinized by other researchers, reviewers, or auditors.

How is transcribing used in qualitative research?

A transcript is used as a way to record and represent the rich, detailed, and complex data collected during qualitative studies such as interviews, focus groups, or observations. Without transcriptions, it would be challenging for researchers to dissect, understand, and interpret the in-depth experiences, perceptions, and opinions shared by the participants. Most research involving audio recordings of interviews requires recordings to undergo the transcription process in order for qualitative data analysis to proceed.

Transcribing, in qualitative research, doesn't merely involve verbatim transcription (the word-for-word rendering of verbal data into text). It can also encompass the translation of non-verbal cues such as laughter, pauses, or emotional expressions that can provide valuable context and insights into the participants' experiences and perspectives. By capturing these details, transcripts can help portray a fuller, more authentic picture of the data, enabling a more comprehensive and nuanced analysis.

In qualitative research, transcriptions are also used for data coding , a process where researchers label or categorize parts of the data based on their content, themes, or patterns. This step is critical for identifying trends and making sense of the data, and having a written transcript makes the coding process significantly more efficient and precise.

How are transcripts used in quantitative research?

Interview transcripts also have an important role in quantitative research , specifically in methods like content analysis and conversation analysis . Content analysis involves the systematic coding and quantifying of data within transcripts, such as the frequency of specific words or themes. This allows researchers to discern patterns and trends and gain insights into the prevalence of certain concepts or attitudes. For example, this could involve quantifying the occurrence of health-related discussions within interviews with healthcare providers.

On the other hand, conversation analysis , while often qualitative, can include quantifiable aspects. Transcripts record details of conversation structure and patterns, such as timing and sequence of speech. Quantitative measures like the count of certain conversational elements or the duration of pauses can be used to understand communication dynamics.

In essence, transcripts are not solely a tool for qualitative research methods but also provide a source of quantitative data and a foundation for quantitative analysis methods. They allow for a detailed, tangible record of spoken data, crucial for both qualitative understanding and quantitative measures, showcasing their versatility in the research field.

The transcription process is a critical stage in qualitative research . It refers to the conversion of recorded or observed speech into written text, turning the fluid and dynamic nature of spoken communication into a tangible and analyzable form . In this section, we will delve deeper into the process of transcription and how it is approached in qualitative research.

How do you create a research transcript?

Writing a research transcript starts with the raw data , usually an audio or video recording from interviews , focus groups , or observations . The first step is to carefully listen to the recording and begin writing down what is being said. This should be done with utmost accuracy, capturing not only the spoken words but also any significant pauses, laughter, or emotional expressions.

A crucial aspect of writing a transcript is deciding how detailed it should be. This varies depending on the research objectives and the nature of the data. For some research, a verbatim transcription, which includes every utterance, filler words, and non-verbal cues, is necessary. For other studies, a clean verbatim transcript, which omits irrelevant details like repeated words or stutters, is sufficient. After the initial transcription, the transcript should be reviewed and cross-checked with the recording for accuracy. During this revision process, the researcher may also add time stamps, annotations, or comments to enrich the transcript further.

Other details in transcripts

Depending on your research inquiry, you may consider more nuanced approaches to generating transcripts when you require the analysis of complex and multifaceted data. Apart from accurately rendering the spoken words into text, a qualitative research transcript can also capture the context, meaning, and nuances inherent in the spoken interaction.

This could involve noting the tone of voice, pauses, emotional expressions, body language, and interactions among participants. These non-verbal cues can provide rich insights into the participants' attitudes, emotions, and social dynamics, thus giving the researcher a deeper understanding of the data.

One unique aspect of transcribing qualitative data is the reflection and interpretative process embedded in it. Researchers often gain a deeper understanding of the data during transcription, as it forces them to engage closely with the data and notice details that might have been missed during the initial data collection.

How is data transcription done?

Data transcription can be done manually or with the assistance of transcription software. Manual transcription involves the researcher or a transcriptionist listening to the recording and typing out the conversation. This method is time-consuming but can lead to a higher level of accuracy and deeper immersion in the data.

Automated transcription software, on the other hand, uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology to transcribe audio recordings into text. While this method is faster and can handle large volumes of data, it may not be as accurate, especially when dealing with poor audio quality, heavy accents, or technical jargon.

Regardless of the method chosen, the transcribed data should be reviewed and edited for accuracy. This might involve repeated listening to the audio, making corrections, and refining the transcript until it accurately represents the original data.

In summary, the transcription process is a meticulous task that requires careful listening, accurate writing, and thoughtful interpretation. It is an essential step in transforming the raw data into a form suitable for in-depth analysis, thus laying the foundation for your qualitative research findings. By understanding how to write a research transcript, specifically a qualitative research transcript, and knowing how data transcription is done, you'll be well-equipped to handle this critical phase of your qualitative research process.

Types of data transcription in qualitative research

As qualitative data can be diverse and complex, it’s important to understand that not all transcripts are the same. Depending on the research objectives, data characteristics, and the resources available, researchers might opt for different types of transcriptions. Let's delve deeper into these different types and their applicability in qualitative research.

What are the different types of data transcription?

There are generally three main types of data transcription:

1. Verbatim transcription: This is the most detailed form of transcription. It involves transcribing every single word, including filler words (like "um," "uh," and "you know"), false starts, repetitions, and even non-verbal cues such as laughter, pauses, or sighs. Verbatim transcription is often used in research where the manner of speaking or the emotional context is as important as the content itself.

2. Clean verbatim transcription: This type of transcription also captures every word spoken but omits filler words, stutters, and false starts, resulting in a cleaner, more readable transcript. Clean verbatim transcription is usually preferred when the focus is on the content of the speech rather than the style or manner of speaking.

3. Intelligent transcription (or edited transcription): This form of transcription goes a step further in simplifying and clarifying the text. It not only removes filler words and repetitions but also corrects grammatical errors and may even rephrase sentences for clarity. Intelligent transcription is typically used for creating transcripts intended for publication or for audiences who are not directly involved in the research.

What are the different types of transcription in qualitative research?

In qualitative research, the type of transcription used often depends on the nature of the study and the level of detail required in the analysis.

For studies aiming to explore the content of the conversations, clean verbatim or intelligent transcriptions might be sufficient. These types provide a clear and concise account of the spoken data, allowing researchers to easily identify themes and patterns in the content.

However, for studies interested in the nuances of communication, such as sociolinguistic studies or discourse analysis, a verbatim transcription might be more appropriate. This type captures the exact words, speech patterns, and non-verbal cues, thus providing a richer and more authentic representation of the spoken interaction.

Choosing the right type of transcription for your qualitative research is crucial, as it can significantly impact the depth and quality of your data analysis . By understanding the different types of data transcription and their uses in qualitative research, you will be better positioned to make an informed decision that aligns with your research goals.

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Transcription is more than a technical process; it's a fundamental part of the journey from data collection to analysis in qualitative research . Understanding transcription in action means knowing how to do it, what to include, and how to record it for optimal use in your study.

What are examples of transcription?

Transcription can take various forms based on the nature of your research. For instance, a sociolinguistic study might require a detailed verbatim transcript, including non-verbal cues and speech anomalies.

Here's an example:

Interviewer: So, how are you feeling about the project? (in a concerned tone) Participant: Umm... Well, (laughs nervously) it's been a bit... um, overwhelming?

On the other hand, an interview transcript for a market research study might be a clean verbatim transcript, focusing on the content. Here's how it could look:

Interviewer: What do you like about our product? Participant: I really enjoy its user-friendly interface and the customer service is exceptional

How do you transcribe a research interview?

Transcribing a research interview involves several steps. First, ensure you have a good-quality audio or video recording of the interview . Listen to the recording carefully, typing out the conversation verbatim. You can also slow down the speed of the recording, and shortcut keys to rewind the recording a few seconds can be a great help. It's essential to maintain accuracy and include key details that might influence the interpretation of the data , such as significant pauses or emotional inflections.

Depending on your research aims, you may choose to transcribe in verbatim, clean verbatim, or intelligent transcription style. Once the initial transcription is complete, review and cross-check it against the recording for accuracy. Finally, anonymize the data if necessary to ensure participant confidentiality .

What should be included in an interview transcript?

An interview transcript should include everything that is said in the interview, but the level of detail can vary. Here are some elements that are typically included:

1. Identifiers: These help distinguish between different speakers. In the case of an interview, this would usually be the interviewer and the interviewee(s). 2. Verbal responses: All responses to the interview questions should be included in the transcript. 3. Non-verbal cues: Depending on the research objectives, non-verbal cues such as laughter, sighs, or pauses can provide additional context and should be included. 4. Time stamps: These help locate specific parts of the audio recording and can be very helpful during analysis. 5. Annotations: These might include comments or notes made by the transcriber about the context, the tone of voice, or background noises.

How do I record an interview transcript?

Recording an interview transcript starts with creating an audio or video recording of the interview. After the interview, use either manual transcription or automatic transcription software to convert the audio into written text. Make sure to include identifiers for each speaker, their verbal responses, and any relevant non-verbal cues. Review and revise the transcript for accuracy, adding time stamps or annotations as needed.

In summary, transcribing interviews is a meticulous task that requires careful attention to detail and accuracy. By understanding what to include in a transcript and how to record it, you'll be well-equipped to capture the richness and depth of your interview data, laying the groundwork for a robust analysis.

Benefits of transcription in qualitative research

In qualitative research , transcription represents more than a technical or administrative task. It’s the transformative process that turns spoken communication into a tangible, accessible text form that can be critically examined, dissected, and evaluated. This process forms the underpinning of the entire data analysis journey, creating the foundation upon which interpretations are built and conclusions are drawn.

Looking deeper into the benefits of transcription in qualitative research

Unearthing the multiple layers of transcription’s benefits in qualitative research reveals how it contributes to the efficacy and integrity of a study.

1. Facilitating data accessibility: One of the fundamental benefits of transcription is that it brings to life the spoken word, facilitating accessibility. It translates data into a format that is readable, searchable, and conducive to rigorous analysis. Transcripts can be reviewed multiple times, allowing researchers to revisit the data continually. They can be easily shared among team members or other researchers, enhancing the communicability of the study. Transcription also bridges barriers for those who are hearing-impaired or for whom the original language of the conversation might be a hurdle.

2. Enabling comprehensive analysis: Transcripts are the bedrock upon which qualitative analysis is built. They provide the raw material for various methods of qualitative data examination, whether it's the deep dive of a thematic analysis , the linguistic focus of discourse analysis , or the systematic categorization of content analysis . These written records allow researchers to delve into the data, identify recurring patterns, extract significant themes, and uncover insights that might be less discernible or entirely lost in the original audio or video format.

3. Promoting reflection and interpretation: Transcription is far from being a mechanical, dispassionate process. It necessitates active and continual engagement with the data , leading to a process of reflection and interpretation that forms the basis of qualitative analysis. During the act of transcribing, researchers can glean new insights, recognize overlooked details, and begin to make initial interpretations. It's often during this process that the data begin to speak, allowing researchers to discern their meaning and value.

4. Providing evidence and establishing an audit trail: Transcripts constitute a concrete, verifiable record of the data collected, the words expressed by the participants, their sentiments, and their experiences. This record acts as a form of evidence to substantiate the research findings, ensuring their credibility. Furthermore, they provide an audit trail, contributing to the transparency, accountability, and, thus, the overall trustworthiness of the study.

Justifying the use of transcription for qualitative data

The crucial role of transcription in qualitative research is underscored by its ability to capture the richness and multifaceted nature of spoken data and convert it into a format ripe for in-depth analysis. It provides a lens through which subtle nuances of communication - the ebb and flow of conversation, shifts in tone, or emotional expressions - can be understood. This is invaluable in qualitative research, where the aim is to capture and understand the depth and complexity of human experiences.

Transcripts also serve as a durable, enduring record of the data, preserving the words and voices of the participants. They ensure that the insights, stories, and experiences shared by participants are not transient but can be revisited, reviewed, and reinterpreted in future research.

Transcription services have revolutionized the way researchers process their data, offering a range of possibilities from manual transcription to advanced AI-driven software. These services often come with their own benefits and drawbacks, and understanding these is key to making an informed decision for your qualitative research project. This section will delve into the world of transcription services, helping you to explore your options and make the best choice for your research needs.

Types of transcription services

Broadly, transcription services fall into two main categories: human services and automated services.

Human transcription services employ professional transcribers to convert your audio or video files into text. These services often offer high-quality, accurate transcripts, as they benefit from the nuanced understanding and context interpretation abilities of a human transcriber.

Automated transcription services, on the other hand, use speech recognition software to transcribe audio or video files. They are typically faster and less expensive than human transcription services, but their accuracy can vary depending on the quality of the audio and the complexity of the language used.

Advantages and disadvantages of outside services

Choosing between human and automated transcription services often depends on your project's specific needs. Let's delve into some advantages and disadvantages of each.

Advantages of human services

1. Accuracy: Human transcribers can understand context, decipher accents, and make out words in poor-quality audio better than any software, ensuring high-quality transcripts.

2. Personalized service: They offer personalized service with attention to detail, including specific formatting requests or specialized transcription styles.

Disadvantages of human services

1. Time-consuming: Human transcription is slower than automated transcription, which can be an issue for projects with tight timelines.

2. Cost: Human transcription services can be expensive, especially for large volumes of data. Advantages of automated services

1. Speed: Automated services can transcribe audio or video files much faster than human transcribers.

2. Cost: They are usually more affordable than human transcription services, making them a good option for budget-conscious projects.

Disadvantages of automated services

1. Accuracy: While speech recognition technology has improved significantly, it still struggles with accents, poor audio quality, and complex terminology, which may lead to less accurate transcripts.

2. Lack of context: Automated services may not capture nuances in language or understand context the way a human transcriber can.

Tips for choosing the right service

Selecting the right transcription service should be based on the specific needs and constraints of your project. Here are a few tips to guide your choice:

1. Assess your needs: Consider the complexity of your data, the quality of your recordings, your budget, and your timeline.

2. Test the service: If possible, use a short sample of your data to test the service. This can give you a sense of the quality of the transcription and whether it meets your needs.

3. Read reviews: Check out reviews and ratings from other users to gauge the reliability and performance of the service.

These outside services can be a valuable resource in qualitative research, saving you time and effort. By understanding the benefits and drawbacks of human and automated services and evaluating your specific research needs, you can make an informed choice that best supports your research goals.

The transcription process, while invaluable to qualitative research , does not come without its fair share of challenges. The transformation of oral data into written format can be a complicated endeavor, particularly in cases where the audio quality is poor, speakers have heavy accents, or the conversation is filled with technical or specific jargon. Despite these hurdles, there are various strategies that can help you navigate these issues and ensure high-quality, accurate transcripts.

Audio quality

One of the most common challenges in transcription is dealing with poor audio quality. Background noise, low speaking volumes, or unclear pronunciations can make it difficult to distinguish what is being said. It's a good idea to invest in high-quality recording equipment and choose a quiet, controlled environment for your interviews or focus groups. Ensure that all participants speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard. If your data is already collected and the audio quality is poor, consider using noise-canceling software or hiring a professional transcription service that specializes in handling poor-quality audio.

Accents and dialects

Dealing with heavy accents or unfamiliar dialects can be challenging, particularly for automated transcription services that may not be programmed to handle a wide range of accents or dialects. Human transcribers can spend time familiarizing themselves with the accent or dialect to aid their comprehension. In some cases, it may be beneficial to engage a local transcriber who is familiar with the accent or dialect. For automated services, choosing a service that offers multilingual support or can handle a variety of accents can improve the accuracy of your transcripts.

Technical jargon and specific language

Transcribing conversations that include technical jargon, specific terminology, or industry-specific language can be a challenge, especially if the transcriber is not familiar with the terminology. If you are outsourcing your transcription to a human service, providing a glossary of terms to your transcriber can be very helpful. This can include definitions of technical terms, acronyms, or any specific language used in your study. If using an automated service, choose one that has capabilities to learn and adapt to specific terminology.

Time and resources

Transcription can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process, especially for large volumes of data. Consider using transcription software or outsourcing to a transcription service to save time. If you’re transcribing manually, developing a systematic approach can increase efficiency. This can include using transcription software to speed up or slow down the audio, utilizing keyboard shortcuts, or creating a consistent formatting system.

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Answer Last Updated: Jul 08, 2016 Views: 1636

There is no set style or rule for the presentation of interview transcripts. Purpose and readability should drive the presentation. That being said, the following recommendations are provided:

• Do not include verbatim question-by-question transcripts in the manuscript. Rather, extract key, relevant quotations or synthesize the responses.
• Always review the quotations for any information that may accidentally reveal participants, his or her immediate community (e.g., family, clients, coworkers), or location.
• Use single-spacing for interview transcripts.
• Do not italicize participant quotations.
• Use block-style formatting for interview transcripts.
• Set quotations of fewer than 40 words off with quotation marks.
• Set the speaker’s name in parentheses at the end, as in (Participant 1).
• Unless you are doing a Delphi study, do not include the date of the interview.
• Participant quotations are considered data, so never refer to them as “personal communication.”
• For traditional “script-style” transcripts, with questions from the interviewer and answers from the participants, use a colon after the speaker’s designation and indent the first line of all new paragraphs.
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The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers

Student resources, three sample interview transcripts.

The following three transcripts have been provided to help you test your coding skills.  Please note these will open in a new window.

Interview Transcript: Digestive Disorders – Brenda

Interview transcript – a teacher’s observations of child oppression, interview transcript: digestive disorders – sam.

The following interview with Brenda [pseudonym] was conducted in April 2013 by Cody Goulder, a graduate student researching people with digestive disorders. Brenda is 25 years old and the transcription is as verbatim as possible.

As a coding and analysis exercise, review the transcript several times to become acquainted with the contents. Make jottings about passages that strike you and pre-code your initial work. Then separate the extended interview transcript into stanzas. Determine the most appropriate coding method(s) for the transcript to help examine the general research questions:

• What are the experiences of people with digestive disorders?
• How do people with digestive disorders cope with them?

Also consider comparing or combining the analysis of this transcript with Sam, the other case interview on digestive disorders.

B: Bowel disorders, it is what it is.

I: How old were you when you first started to realize you were having problems with your digestion?

B: I was, uh, 21 and a half, to be exact, yeah.

I: And do you suffer from celiac or, how would you define your discomfort?

B: My colonoscopy says no celiac and not inflammatory bowel disease. My blood marker test says I have inflammatory bowel disease. I would label myself definitely gluten intolerant.

I: And for the record, can you describe what that means? Gluten intolerance? As you would describe it.

B: Gluten intolerance means that you, your body just does not digest or break down or really absorb gluten. And that is a protein that is found in wheat. I would also say that I don’t handle processed wheat well either. Um, and the symptoms are across the board. For me personally, um, I get, I’ll get joint pains, exhaustion, um, and I just feel incredibly full. After four or five bites, if I’m having, say, pasta or something where it’s just, after four or five bites, I can’t eat anymore, feel nauseous. That’s actually where the symptoms really first started.

I: Was there anything else beyond that?  Say migraine headaches or …

B: Headaches. I have, and it’s gotten a lot better, I had, um, pretty bad hormonal acne, is what they would call it. Went across the board trying to treat it. I tried creams and antibiotics, retin-As, all that stuff. When I started to cut out gluten and wheats, my skin cleared up the best it’s ever been. I even went on Accutane and, I was on Accutane for five months and that is exactly when my symptoms would appear. I’ve been completely healthy my entire life.

I: Do you think there is a connection between …

B: Yes. I, well, studies have shown that if you possibly have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis and you go on Accutane, there is research coming out that, it can set those diseases off. Um, and I just, I can’t, I think that’s what happened to me because of, like I said, I was completely healthy and then one day I’m having bowel issues and medications.

I: You said you’ve seen doctors, medical doctors, what was that process like of getting tested? What was the response?

B: Well, I went to, when I first got sick, I went to my internal medicine doctor and he’s like, “I don’t know if it’s acid reflux or what, so I’m gonna do a blood test on you.” And he did a blood panel, that’s when he said, “OK, according to these markers you have IBD, go to a gastrologist.”  And, I went to one that was recommended, um, and she was just like, “OK, I wanna scope you.”  I told her about all these symptoms and when I told her I’d been on Accutane, she kind of made a look like, “Oh, OK.” And then I have a family history, unfortunately, with inflammatory bowel disease. Both of my younger sisters have ulcerative colitis. I have an uncle who is deceased who had ulcerative colitis, and two or three second cousins that have ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s.

I: Can you describe what ulcerative colitis is, as you would describe it?

B: Um, it’s just your intestines not really absorbing the proper nutrients and inflammation, um, and that can be where, um, in any part of your gut. All the way to, Crohn’s can even burn your esophagus and mouth, all the way down through the rest of your body. It’s pretty intense. I was the healthy one. I didn’t have asthma or, not like my little sisters. The hell they went through in middle school with getting sick, I never had that.

I: Would you be willing to talk a little more about that?

B:  So, my first sister got sick right around middle school. Her symptoms were, any time she’d eat, she immediately would have to go to the bathroom, instant diarrhea. She’d break out in a sweat. She’d get [ unable to transcribe ], which is a kind of skin lesion, which is, we talked to the dermatologist and, but until you treat really the underlying problem, you don’t know what’s going on. Um, what else did she have? And just going from doctor to doctor. Um, they did a scope and there was a little inflammation that they did find. Um, but they still were very hesitant of saying, “Yes, you have ulcerative colitis” because she wasn’t on, your typical textbook case. I found that really hard for doctors. If it’s not black and white, they …

I: We’ve discussed in other interviews, before this, the fear of using labels in …

B: They’re terrified. I mean, I went through several doctors and then finally, um, I think kinda, and going through puberty, I and, while my sisters were going through puberty, it was really hard. With all the hormones and changing, It just kinda, I think, throws a lot of things off. And then my sister, she’s what would you call remission, but it’s never really going away. You’ll always still have it, but she been in remission for a while now. Um, found the right doctor and he didn’t label her until he started treating her.

I: So it was sort of a trial by fire?

B: Yeah, we’d kind of tell them, “Hey, can we try this? It’s not getting better.” And then my youngest sister, right around the same time, about sixth grade, she got sick as well. Different symptoms. Um, she didn’t have, she had ulcerative colitis. But, there can come blood when you go to the bathroom. And she went in, was severely sick, she went to the hospital. And filled up the little cup they have, completely, with blood. And when they went in to scope, they couldn’t find anything. But she had the blood. She had the joint ache. She has the rash. She’s trying to eat as much as she could, but her belly would distend. And they wanted to send my sister to the psych unit. They thought it was a mental thing and we’re like, “No, she’s filling up the cup.” Like, really? And it was just their reaction because they couldn’t figure out why because the gold standard in diagnosing these things is the colonoscopy. But it’s so hard with these diseases to find it.

I: Why do you think there seems to be a reluctance or a unwillingness in wanting to just get right to the point?

B: I’m not really sure. I don’t, I don’t know. I don’t know if they’re taught that in med school that, you know, that it’s not black and white. And we have found also that, when you are in a hospital setting, you don’t see the same doctor. You have a doctor for a week and then, you know, in all honesty, they weren’t all on the same page. They had their own egos and their own agendas. My sister was in there 21 days. Still, we were finally like, “This is enough. It’s not a psych problem, discharge her now.” And she was still bleeding, two weeks later, she was anemic. We ended up, by chance, being able to get into a different doctor at a different practice who would treat her as if. She was in remission for about three years, she’s out of it now, but she’s got good doctors. She’s still trying to figure out how to beat this beast.

I: Are both your sisters, and you as well, on prescription medication?

B: Um, yes. My little sister Tammy now, I think because she’s been in remission is on like a, something for acid reflux. My younger sister, she’s not on any medication. And my one sister, yes, but I don’t remember what she’s on.

I: And, none of these symptoms have been shown in your parents?

B: My mom, yeah. I remember growing up and her having bowel issues, yeah. And, it’s all on my mom’s side. My dad’s side doesn’t have any bowel issues. This gluten intolerance thing, I didn’t really understand it until I was taking a class with a friend and I was just telling her, “God, I really don’t like.” They labeled me as having GERD and put me on severe, pretty intense medication. I just don’t like the fact I have to take this medication. 

I: What is GERD?

B: It’s similar to the acid reflux disease. So, a lot of it is by diet. Little things can set it off.

I: Before all this, what was your favorite food?

B: I loved pizza and burgers.

I: Would you say you ate a pretty balanced diet? Not loading up on pasta …

B: No, but it’s funny ‘cause when I was sick, that’s all I wanted, you know? That sounded really good to eat bread and crackers.

I: Is that because it was a comfort basis?

B:  No, um, I think people with that, like sugars and complex stuff, especially like all the sugar that’s really not good for you, it’s addicting, you know?  The longer you are away from it, it’s easier to stay away. Have a little and it’s like I gotta have more. It’s difficult.

I: When you started to cut out gluten and bad sugars, what was the response?

B: From like a friend?

I: Yeah. Were you a partier?

B: No. I was so, no, it was weird. I kinda went through my drinking when I was underage. By the time I turned 21, I really didn’t enjoy it. Actually, last night, I feel it. Like, I didn’t drink that much and I feel like hell the next day. Two beers. But, say if I have food and water with it, it’s still mm-mm. So, when I cheat, I’m like, “You’re gonna pay for it the next day.” But it’s hard. Not wanting to go out with friends and, you know, it gets kinda, after a while, “Oh, I’ll just have salad cause that’s really all I can eat.” I can still eat stuff, but finding restaurants that are accommodating to eating to that.

I: Is there a feeling of being ostracized? Your friends or actually from the restaurant itself?

B: Yeah, it’s complicated. I just tell them now.

I: Do you have a specific experience that jumps out in your mind?

B: Yeah, I’d just gotten, a couple of times when you ask, “Do you have a gluten-free menu?” They’re getting much better at it, but I remember when I first started, like a year and a half ago, it was still kind of like [ rolls eyes ], “Oh, you’re one of those people.” Um, cause some people will cut out gluten because they think it will be great for them. But it really doesn’t hurt them. So, I don’t like to be grouped into that. It’d be cheaper. Probably be easier just to be able to go with the flow.

I: How does that make you feel when you talk to someone who says they’re cutting out gluten for my diet, but they can eat bread if they desperately wanted to?

B: Um, close friends, no. Not at all. I mean, because, well, they’ve seen me not do well. I’m just not very nice either because I don’t feel well. Um, but strangers, yeah, that don’t get it. You know, there’s kind of a judgment and they, “Why are you, are you doing it to lose weight or … ?” No, I’m doing it ’cause I feel miserable. But that’s also something that’s going around like in the media, I know, it’s being hyped up as, “Cut out gluten, it’ll make you lose weight.” I think that anything, if you’re just trying, doing it to lose weight, that won’t stick.

I: How do feel with all the mass market of gluten-free this, gluten-free that?

B: It’s a little overwhelming, to be honest. You really have to look at the food labels. Are they taking out this? I still, and trying to find stuff, um, at the grocery store that I can eat, but it takes forever. I try to, at least, read every label. Grocery experiences are long [ laughs ].

I: Is there a specific thing that you want, but know you can’t have?

B: Yeah, that’s my downfall. I mean, I’ve found some places that are gluten-free. But, you know, I haven’t found, has anyone found a gluten-free pizza that you can make at home, send it my way ’cause [ laughs ] …

I: In addition to reading labels and breakdown what I can and can’t eat in the moment, how has your lifestyle changed to feel comfort?

B: With gluten intolerance, I’ve done some research. But I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve, I’m taking a class with a friend and she’s like, “I have stomach issues. Why don’t you read this book? It’s called Eat Right for Your Blood Type .” I didn’t know my blood type at the time, so I started reading the type-O diet and I was like, “Oh my god.” It describes how, based on if you eat these foods, it’s what you have. It’s so me. I had to kinda look away. Is this really me? And it was. So for me, I follow the hunter-gatherer type, meat, fruits, and vegetables. Um, and so that alone, that book and I’m so grateful for my friend, because that brought a sense of comfort.

I: It sounds like you’ve got a lot of support around you.

I: And, have you been able to pass that along to your sisters? Did they ever talk to you about what it’s like to be in middle school and have, really feel, have these differences?

B:  Oh yeah, it was really, really tough. Kids, not so much kids, but I remember the teachers would not, being, not really getting it. And my mom would try so hard to, I mean, “Hey, this is what my daughters have. There are the type of medications, heavy medication at one point that they were on. Heavy steroids that make you, not really there. Um, she’s maybe not paying attention because her pain or she’s trying not to shit her pants.” And, um, yeah they had a really hard time finding kids that understood what they were going through. And, it’s a disease on the inside that doesn’t always manifest on the outside. And I think a lot of diseases are like that. Just being aware.

I: Especially when a lot of the symptoms are connected to other diseases? Are you concerned, have you thought about at all what this could lead to?

B: That’s why I changed my diet because I know the blood markers, so, in some ways that kind of means I’m a ticking time bomb. You know, I could get the flu really, really bad. And that could set off this disease. Um, but I’m doing everything that I can in my power as far as diet that I can to control it. Because that also can set it off. I’ve adapted this new lifestyle. Exercise like three, four times a week. Um, that’s been the hardest one, to really stay committed. I’ve conquered the food part, but not putting in the exercise as well. And doing yoga ’cause I stress easily. And, that’ll feed into it, that stress will lead me into making poor food choices. So, finding the balance is what I’m really focusing on.

I: Do you feel that, when you’ve had a bad day, it’s the emotional connection, or that emotion is tied to reactions? “I feel bad, I need comfort.”

B:  That’s something to be aware of, definitely. That’s happened to me.

I: Do you think there’s a danger in people becoming so emotion-oriented?

B: Oh yeah. Um, yeah you gotta find balance you know? And being aware, it’s all kind of connected.

I: Is there a point where you’ve had to battle and fears or overwhelming emotions? And you had to bring yourself back? Trigger or phrases that help keep you in balance?

B: Um, I have to stay in the present. And not, “God, what if this happens?” ’Cause that, you know, will set it off. And that’s where I need to be, in that present and just focus on that. And when I don’t, that’s when it gets me and stresses me out. And in listening to your body is the best thing. You are your best advocate for yourself. Not taking the medical. Being in tune. It’s clear if I’ve had a bad week. I eat foods I shouldn’t have been eating. I feel really lethargic and exhausted. If you don’t want to feel like this, don’t eat it. It’s pretty immediate.

I: Do you feel you’re leaning towards organic?

B: I have found, for me, the hunter-gatherer, animal protein. I’d watch documentaries on how animals are being treated, on what they’re given and what we’re absorbing and the cancer rate and all. So, I tried vegetarian, but that means I upped my soy. A lot of soy, had a lot of grains too, even lentils, which are supposed to be really good. And I felt miserable. And I gained a lot of weight. And, they, “You know, don’t eat meat and you’ll lose weight.” For me, I felt horrible. Like, my skin was breaking out, I gained weight. I think like everyone is honestly a little bit different. It’s unfair to the consumer. I gotta eat animal protein or I’m not a very nice woman. I’m cranky. Watch out! But, on the other side, I’ve got to pay more for grass-fed animal meat that’s not injected with hormones. I think that’s what’s causing the cancer and all these problems. It’s because of what they’re giving to the animals. And the hormones. Of course we’re gonna get sick. Of course. It’s infuriating, it really is. But you pay more, a little bit, for the great meat, you know, versus paying several years down the line severe medical bills. I’m not saying you couldn’t, one day, have cancer. But you’ve done everything in your power to not get it and I just got the short end of the stick, but at least I can be in control of, at least I’m eating this. Holds me accountable.

I: Last question, what’s it been like?

B: I have a really tough stomach. Yeah we, my sisters and I, do talk about it. Definitely check in and, our poor dad. We’re all so females that, sometimes, there’s a point we’re at dinner conversations and we talk about our bowel habits and what was going on. My poor dad. So, yeah, there’s definitely an open communication and you gotta have a sense of humor. You got these issues, you have to have a sense of humor.

I: What would say to someone that provides comfort? It’s OK, this is life?

B:  Um, we just, we just joke. “Hey, remember that one time when,” you know? You just have, you just kind of have a sense of humor about it, accepting what it is and try to stay positive is how we try to move forward. And be on top of it. And really choosing to have a say in relation to our digestion and stuff. Being aware. It’s different for everyone. Be in tune with what your symptoms are. You’re your best advocate. 

An interview was conducted with “Ms. D,” a female, fifth-grade, veteran elementary school classroom teacher in preparation for an action research project on school bullying. The research team interviewed fourth- and fifth-grade teachers at a lower middle-class suburban school site to learn about forms of oppression they saw and heard most often among their children.

As a coding and analysis exercise, review the transcript excerpt several times to become acquainted with the contents. Make jottings about passages that strike you and pre-code your initial work. Then separate the interview transcript into stanzas. Determine the most appropriate coding method(s) for the transcript to help examine the pre-action research question:

• What are the forms of child oppression?

Also compose an analytic memo that brainstorms the types of strategies that might be taken by an action research team to lessen the amount of child oppression in a school setting.

I: How do children in your classroom oppress each other?

MS. D: Well, they call each other names.

I: Like, what kinds of names?

MS. D: Oh, we’ve got a little girl in here, she looks different and she acts different, so they’ll make up some name that they call her. They, um, it’s the same kid, it seems like every year there’s one kid that gets picked on more than somebody else, because they’re different, because they might look different, they might act different. Say, for instance, she will say something or she gets very excited about something, they’ll tell her to “Sit down,” “Be quiet,” “Stop doing this,” they’re like on her case all the time. Then you’ve got another kid in here who, well he loses control of himself, and so he blurts stuff out or yells out, and the kids will turn around and yell back at him. And out on the playground they do tend to sometimes get pushy-shovy kinda stuff. Like with her [ pointing to a desk ] I’ve watched them actually walk by this little girl and purposely bump into her or something like that, but then even though you’re watching them, the kid’ll turn around and say, “Well, I didn’t do that” after you confront him. And it’s not everybody, it’s just a few, and it’s a few that have behavior problems that seek attention, and they don’t know how to get attention any other way besides a negative way.

I: How do the students deal with these conflicts?

MS. D: They come to me right away to tell me, so then I have to deal with it. I’ve told them to do it that way. I don’t want them taking means into their own hands, ’cause if they do then they’re causing more problems than, because they tend to get physical or it’s a taunting kind of thing that will take place all over the place. So if they come to me right away then I can deal with just the two people it involves and that way it doesn’t tend to get blown out of proportion. It stays right there rather than getting other kids involved in the situation.

I: What kinds of oppressions might your students deal with in their home environment?

MS. D: Oh, jeez. There’s some sad cases here. There’s this one boy who seeks attention because his mother is a drunken alcoholic. The mom says he’s her best buddy and works hard to get him what he wants. He’s had to meet with the school counselor. There was another girl who was taken away from a bad family situation in Philadelphia because of physical and verbal abuse, her mother was into witchcraft. She moved to live with some relatives here but the home situation here isn’t safe either, so the police had to be called in. But she seems to be settling in now. Her mom’s moved down here but the girl’s slowly evolving into one of the neighborhood kids. She’s the one they pick on a lot because she is a little different, but she’s had different experiences than a lot of kids, too.

I: What kinds of differences do kids tend to target?

MS. D: With this one student the kids seem to zero in because she did look different, and she …

I: Clothing-wise?

MS. D: No, just physically, she, she just, and she acted kind of strange, she would just rock back and forth in her chair, that this was a thing of the abuse, that kind of thing. And one of the girls said, “Stop it, stop it!” and I would have to go over to her and just put my hands on her, “Don’t do that now,” that kind of thing, and we had to have her meet with the school nurse. And she’s the type of kid who thinks she knows everything, so that was another thing that bugged the kids, that she would, and yet she does know a lot, but they just didn’t like it, that it was her . You know, once they had this idea that something’s wrong with them, or they don’t like them, then when they start to interact with the kids and the kids kind of, they’re not accepting. But most of the other kids in this room have been together for years, so she’s brand new, the other kid with problems is brand new, and so it’s the ones, they’re kind of not fitting in because they weren’t with this group as they moved on through school.

I: Like a newcomer?

MS. D: Uh-huh, I think it is like a newcomer thing. It’s basically the new ones. These two new ones were pretty outgoing and were put down by the others, but another newcomer moved quietly and she was easily accepted because she didn’t stand out. There’s another boy who’s obnoxious and the class gets upset with him. The kids pick up on attitude. Their whole thing is attention: how can I get attention and bring it to myself? Acting goofy or silly is a big thing, and some of the kids’ll say, “Oh, stop acting like that.”

The following interview with Sam [pseudonym] was conducted in April 2013 by Cody Goulder, a graduate student researching people with digestive disorders. Sam is in his early 30s and the transcription is as verbatim as possible.

Also consider comparing or combining the analysis of this transcript with Brenda, the other case interview on digestive disorders.

I: How old were you when you first realized you had something, celiac or, I should clarify: do you have celiac or is it a variation?

S: And I’ll clarify, too.

I: Yeah, absolutely.

S: A few things: I do energy healing and, um, as well as like, um, counseling of people like with diseases of these natures. So, because of that I also go to medical doctors or energy healers and nutritionists or people more off, off the beaten path, acupuncturists, things like that. And because of that, these doctors are hesitant to specifically name anything, because once you put a label on it, you give it power. You give it a consciousness and the more you, the more that consciousness is spread out, spread around like ADHD and all of that first came out. It gives it a negative connotation, so I was never told celiac. I was never told, the only thing I was ever told was, in the early stages was candida and parasites. And candida is a form of a parasite. Um, and other than that, they don’t address it to me and I don’t really ask. I’ve, I’ve asked, slipped up and asked, in the past, um, the doctors just like don’t worry about it. Because then, I’ll start to research it and buy into the symptoms.

I: Why do you think that is? Aside from not wanting to promote, for lack of a better term, hysteria, why do you think doctors are so reluctant to label …

S:  Um, I think medical doctors is because of the lawsuits. Per-, perhaps, and the liability. They don’t wanna, um, but, but the alternative doctors I go to, which are, I mean they’re also chiropractors, so they are doctors. Um, [ pause ] for one of the reasons I just mentioned so that my consciousness doesn’t buy into it and I create more of the disease, within my own body, which I, we all kinda tend to do anyway.

I: For the record, and certainly help clarify because, through this project, we’ve talked to other people we’re interviewing and we’ve heard different labels for it. So, can you help explain the variations?

S: If you went through my symptoms, you would say, you would say celiac. You would say there’s a lot of stuff. And I just saw something on Facebook, um, a medical doctor, I don’t know, I was trying to find it for you. I don’t know whose page it was, ’cause I have so many fan pages. It was a medical doctor that said, “What I used to, when I was practicing medicine, my patients would come to me and they had all these symptoms, which is fatigue, chronic fatigue, like all the, um, diarrhea, chronic diarrhea.” I’ve, you know, chronic stomach pains, intestinal pain, and things like that, um. Vision problems like floaters, um, I forgot what else she said in the list, but it’s like, “Oh, that’s all me.” There’s, there’s no name for that. But, she said, “When I finally would ask my patients what their body needs, because they went through all the protocols and all the testing and nothing would ever change. When I finally asked my patients what their body needs, some would say, you know, this medication or whatever.” That’s a small percentage of what this host said. The rest of the people, 98% would say I need to quit my job. I need to go do something that makes me happy. My body needs this. My body needs, you know, and it wasn’t related to anything that, food-wise or medical-wise, it was related to lifestyle choices. And, as a healer myself, that’s what I’ve learned as well and, you know, knowing this I should be able to heal myself and slowly, slowly, gradually I am. But, it’s, it’s easier said than done. Especially when you’re dealing with something that’s so emotionally tied into your, your system and your psyche. Does that make sense?

I: Yeah, it does.

S: And that kinda follows through with what, when I’ve started reading into the candida years ago, I was first diagnosed.

I: Can you explain a little more about candida? 

S: Candida is a yeast infection. And, when I first heard that, I’m thinking “Oh, which chick did I get it from?” [ laughs ] And so, I started like, after a while, after about a week, I’m like, you know, I’m gonna google this, and what it is is, we all have this natural yeast that occurs in our bodies. And, what happens over, it could be a traumatic issue. A traumatic occurrence or a thing like that, um, that happens in our lives and that yeast will, will, like, say we have X amount of yeast in our system. Let’s just, naturally good yeast. Quote unquote, good yeast.

I: On par with, say, the good bacteria living in our stomach.

S: Right. Well, when that good yeast expands to like double X or triple X or however, I’m just, I’m not, um, when it expands, that level, then it starts to become bad yeast. And it starts to take over and, it’s not, it’s only bad because it’s too much of it. And that yeast will affect your ability, and then the more sugar you have, the more you feed the yeast. The more gluten you have, the more wheat, the more things that, you know, have gluten in them, the more you’re gonna feed it. Um, and so forth until you get to the point where it’s like, you can, and I’ve read the diets and the diets, you can’t even, it’s almost impossible. They say it’s almost impossible to do. You have to do this diet to, to cut out all the yeast, you can’t even have carrots.

S: ’Cause of the sugar. But, then they say carrots are iffy because carrots also help kill the bacteria. It’s like there’s so much unknown about this, but it’s said it’s all, but the consensus that, I googled of all these websites that talked about candida is, it’s all emotional in origin. Hippocrates said the same thing. He’s the father of, you know, modern Western medicine. He said all disease is emotional in origin. As a healer, I know this. Because, even cancer starts as an emotion. And the more that emotion manifests, you get a tumor or something negative. Um, and I full-heartedly understand how that works. Because, especially in dealing with patients and myself, it’s like as soon as you get rid of that emotional counterpart, the disease goes away. Even if it’s cancer, I’ve seen it happen. They say it’s pretty amazing. Um, so, I’m sorry, what was your question?

I: What was candida?

S: Yeah, so, that’s what candida is in a nutshell. And so, that’s what my doctor started treating me for. My doctor, my healer, doctor, chiropractor started treating me for. And, and she told me to cut out all of, and this was probably about in oh-five [2005], it was about a year after I graduated [from university], getting my master’s. Um, it was, she treated me, she said no sugar, no caffeine, no dairy, I couldn’t do dairy either and no gluten, obviously. And, gradually I slowly weaned myself off, ’cause she was a vegetarian at the time, I slowly started weaning myself off of meat and stuff. I did eggs for protein. And what ended up and, I believe this was still, this was less than a year, about a year after my mom’s death, which was devastating for me, and I think …

I: What did she die of?

S: Oh, I can tell you the whole story. Can I?

I: Absolutely, we’ll circle back.

S. Yeah, um, and I believe that’s what started this manifestation in my stomach and my, my intestines ’cause I can tell the difference now. After a bowel moment I can, I’m just worn out. Um, so it was a year after my mom died and I went off all these things. Did the eggs for protein for about two months. I lost 40 pounds of muscle. And fat, but mostly muscle. So, I went from a size extra large shirts to mediums.

S: It was bad. It wasn’t, and I was also in depression and that’s why I want to preface that because I believe that depression plays a part in this all. Is that, whether we know it or not, you know?

I: There’s different levels of depression, period.

S: Exactly. And, there’s, and then there’s the fears that I constantly face like, within myself, and I think that contributed to it. I notice that when, like this HOA [Home Owners’ Association] thing and I think, I thought it was perfect that it was coming up. I hate the HOA, just like you were saying. And I was, I don’t know why I was having such anxiety over this meeting, ’cause once I had the meeting, it wasn’t a big deal. But like, there are certain people that I thought were going to be there, and that weren’t there, that I was like, I don’t wanna deal with these assholes, right? So, that, and that, and I was paying attention to what was happening, having anxiety this past week and it was going, it was going right to my gut. And, I’m like, well that’s not good for me. What am I doing to myself? But, like I can intellectualize it. But it’s, but until I like either do meditation or just like breathe and just get it through my system or just face it, which is what I did today, I, that’s why I went to the meeting, um, until you face that fear, you can’t, it’s almost impossible to get rid of it. Because once you face your vulnerability, that’s when, that’s when you empower yourself. But, most people are used to running away from their vulnerabilities. Does that make sense? 

I: Absolutely.

S: So, OK, you wanted to go back to my mom or, I kinda jump around so keep me …

I: No, it’s fine, I like to jump around. Um, so how does, let’s backtrack a bit to candida, trying to get a scope of these disorders?

S: I can tell you how candida manifested into other things if you …

I: Absolutely. Oh totally. Yes, so how does it differ from, say, someone who has celiac or has a general gluten or lactose or … ?

S: I think people that have celiac I, don’t quote me on this, but I, well, you can quote me on this.

I: I don’t have to use it.

S: I, I’m pretty sure people who have celi-, celiac also have candida issues. I’m pretty sure and, you know, chronic fatigue plays into all of that. I’m pretty sure that people who have gluten intolerances have the celiac, whether they were tested for it or not. I’m not sure that most medical doctors, some of them do ’cause I’ve been to a few that do, will test for celiac. There’s a spit test you can do. There’s all these other tests you can do that are, that don’t cost money. But how does it come, go into play? 

I: Is it sort of like …

S: I think it was, for me, I think it was the first stages. Um, at least as far as a diagnosis goes and my doctor slowly started treating me for celiac. Once she got that under control, then we started treating me for, like, if I have gluten I’m bleeding out my, you know, out my ass because, and I didn’t know that’s what celiac did. Because, my friend works, he’s a higher up at [a restaurant] and he works in the kitchen and he’s like, he’s like it’s very serious. In like, really, ’cause he, everyone calls it celiac ’cause it’s more widespread as a diagnosis and that’s what we label it.

S: In all intents and purposes, you could say I have that, but I don’t like to use that label.

I: Is that because you feel that, as a medical term, celiac is an easy way to create an umbrella over these conditions?

S: Absolutely. Its, it’s just like, back when they used to say ADD and ADHD they would come up with all these initials for that. You remember those, when that happened?

S: And I’m just like, that was us growing up. I was an A student, but it was still, we were, my little brother was way even more hyper. My mom didn’t know what to do with that. But she didn’t drug him because she didn’t want to deal with him. She just dealt with it. And now we call it something so we can put someone on drugs. But it doesn’t help them. You know what I’m saying, it’s like toxic to those kid that grew up, and now they’re adults, a functioning, and they’re like, that was the worst thing you can do to a kid is put them on the drugs, because they can’t access, access their creativity.

I: What are your feelings when you see gluten-free diets, everything’s being marketed as gluten-free this, gluten-free menus when you are in a restaurant?

S: I actually, honestly, I appreciate it. I don’t think of it as, as a bad thing. Like, what is it, on Picasso’s Pizza, Pan Gusto’s Pizza, which is one of the old Picasso’s, they’re, almost all organic and all gluten-free. Organic, I think, fits into it. If you’re gluten-free you’ve got to watch the pesticides you’re putting into your body. Um, and diet, we’re learning more slowly as a society that diet is the best, is a better medicine than actual drugs. Um, it’s what you put into your body, not just the preventative, but um, as a way, that when you do have something, as a way to get out, get yourself out of it. Um, and …

I: Because food is something that you need and you cannot operate without it.

S: Right, right. And if you’re eating stuff that is attributing and continuing exacerbating the issues that you have, whether it’s emotional or not, I mean there’s still, there’s something in your system that’s exacerbating the problem, then how, how is it that any amount of medicine or anything else going to help you? But if you eat stuff that promotes the good stuff to occur and helps you, help you feel better, helps you to feel more energetic and have energy to exercise, that alone and just a better outlook can push away most diseases in anyone’s body, whether that’s gluten or anything else.

S: Um, there’s so much more I was gonna say because, like, as I’m talking, I’m having all these thoughts.

I: If it comes up to you, just throw it out there.

S: I can send you some stuff from like, I see this happening on my pages every day. Like Socrates or Plato or like all these people or Doctor Freud.

I: That would be amazing if you were …

S: It’s some amazing stuff that, like these are all on my feeds that I hit “Like” on. But, it talks about like, all this stuff in different ways. And they, it’s just …

I: Are they posted on your Facebook page?

S: No, it’s just my feed.

S: Various feeds. And so, you know, as it comes, I’ll just forward it to you.

I: Absolutely. I’d love to see these.

S: OK. And, some of them I save and some of them I don’t. If I have any on my computer, I’ll just, yeah, because, and I’ll, it’ll help your, I think it’ll help your [research].

I: I think it will help this project a lot. Um, and just having information too, to know more about …

S: I mean, and you could hear me say, as a healer, like, when you hear other people that are famous, it’s almost kinda almost …

I: Well, it’s refreshing, I mean, it’s refreshing to get it from your perspective because, as you described it, a doctor is going to tell me something that I …

S: And I was at a doctor, um. OK, there’s something I wanna say and it’s all coming out at once, I was …

I: Take your time, we’re in no rush.

S: My, my chiropractor sent me to a doctor because she’s like, “I can’t prescribe medication but I really think, to kick this out of your system, we want to prescribe this,” and she told me that, what she wanted. So, she sends me to a person I know and a person that she knows and this doctor was just, she was a medical doctor but a quack. I’m just like, “You don’t know anything.” And, I’m like, she was testing, which is fine, testing me for all these, testing my blood, testing my liver and all this. And, she’s like, “Well, I don’t know what to do.” I’m like, “What about that medication, you know, doctor- she suggested?” “Well, I could put you on that and I think that’s the best thing, but I just don’t know what’s going on with you.” And, I’m like, it’s all like going back to the medieval days for me. It’s like, I’m like, I spent time with my doctor and we’ve been treating this and we want results to just kick it. But, she’s all, doctors have that ego. Like, “I’m God, I know better than anyone.” And it’s like, so I took the drugs. Literally, it happened Friday night until Sunday evening, I was in-, I was incapacitated. I’ve, I’ve never been, I can’t call it sick, I think I was in a coma. I could, the only thing I could do was get up to pee, I couldn’t even get water. It was, and what happened was, what I researched and what my chiropractor kind of already knew, she’s pretty intuitive, is it killed a parasite in my liver and it caused that reaction. Now had I known in ad-, had I actually known this in advance, and in hindsight, there’s a tea you can drink that’ll counter that and I would have been fine. But, you only know this stuff through experience. It’s who’s, and this is funny ’cause my mom was the same way. She would educate the doctors. And all my, all my uncles are doctors. Um, so my mom had, she, she was gluten-free later on in life, um, because of her, she had rheumatoid arthritis. But, mostly she, she got on a healthy diet because of the arthritis. She would educate my uncles in treating their patients. She’s like, they would argue with her, “This, this is not what we were, the medical books say this.” And, finally, like after, I was, I was a little kid going to [city], that’s where my cousins are. And that one year, they just switched. My mom was just so beside herself, “I’ve been saying this until I’m blue in the face, what made you see the light?” They’re like, “Our patients are demanding it from me.” And so I had to study it and learn that food is more important than medicine in a lot of cases. You know, you’ll never get them. They’re my uncles and I love, they, but they’ll never say that out loud. Because that’s just, it’s their careers and the, it’s the insurance companies. And I’m, I’m doing all of this out of pocket because my insurance company won’t pay for what I had. I got rid of my insurance. They wouldn’t pay for it.

I: Why wouldn’t the insurance company cover that?

S: They won’t pay for a chiropractor, they won’t pay for a nutritionist. They’re just something society doesn’t deem as important. Some insurance companies will. I have Blue Cross. And after, after several years of, after paying my, you know, paying my doctors out of pocket, I’m just, why have insurance? You know, and so my dad would get back because he’s an attorney, he was an attorney. And he would just, so he would pay it for me. And when he died, I was, just would, my dad, he cancel. [ slight laugh ] Because he had, but that’s because, how he was raised. They were taught growing up, is, you know, from grandparents and aunts and uncles that grew up in the Depression. You need insurance. You need this. You need that. And, this is how you live. You live in fear of the what-ifs.

I: That’s going to happen, you may need this.

S: And I, and what helped me change that attitude, because that’s how I was raised by these people. My dad, my grandfather, what changed, my mom wasn’t like that. She was the artist. She did a lot of coppers, but she did a lot of painting as well. But, um, that’s what she did later on in life. Artistic career. And then she became a realtor in the 80s. And that’s what she did until she, and then she kind of retired after all that, when they moved to [a new location]. But, um, so that’s what she did. Where was I going? I forgot what I was talking about.

I: We were discussing, where did we, we started with celiac umbrella term, and, last little blurb. Insurance. Why did you need insurance?

S: And so, I guess we were on a, a track. I was just saying that, you know, we train our society to grow up in these fear modes. I feel that the fear that you have like, that creates the fear of the what-ifs creates more of that happening. Like, what if my house flooded or what if there’s a tornado? Well, those are the people that attract that most to them. And I’ve known, just from my own experience that if you were to ask me this 10 years ago.

I: Is there a specific experience that jumps out to you?

S: Of me creating my own situation?

I: Or seeing it in someone else?

S: In my dad, yeah. He would create these fears and they would happen. Just like, if I didn’t have insurance then I’ll, then you look at someone like me who grew up in the same family, and I don’t have insurance, and even my doctor, my chiropractor, she doesn’t need. She’s like, “Sam, if I could live like you, I would. But, I still have that fear of society. And if you can let that go, if something happens, it happens.” But, if not, it’s, I, it’s like ever since I saw the movie, and I don’t, I’m just gonna throw this at you. I saw that movie, this is as I was going to join [a university degree program] and I, I didn’t want to bring up the girlfriend. She was a [student in the degree program]. Um, but she, she and I were going through a, insane shit. I won’t go into it, but if we …

I: I want you to know that this is a safe place, so if you want to go on a tangent, throw something out there, go for it.

S: Yeah, you could write my life story later, but I, this will [ laughs ], her and I were going through a, um, emotional upheaval that we’re told, um, ’cause we didn’t know what to do. I mean like, shit was, shit was flying around the room. It was like that kind of, like a, um, looking back was an emotional thing. It manifested itself in, there’s so much we don’t know. [ laughs ] That’s another conversation.

I: That’s another conversation for another project.

S: A major conversation. Um, it’s a major conversation. Not because it was personal but because um, but that kind of tied into it as far as, um, her and I saw this movie. I think it was separately because we were breaking up at the time.

I: What was the title?

S: It’s a famous movie. You’ll know it when I tell you it. It came, I can’t think of it. Not The Secret , the one before? [ pause ] But, anyway, it’s this movie, before I’ll, I’ll get it to you.

I: We’ll figure it out after …

S: If I IMDBed [Internet Movie Data Base] it, I’d find it. It’s a documentary. And once I saw that documentary, after this documentary, I’m like, this is stuff I knew in high school. But I would never say it because people thought I was, would think I was crazy. These were scientists that came up with all this stuff. Not gluten people, right? Um, and in the second half of the movie, it was just like, it was more story with Marlene [ sic ] Matlin in it. And, you know with, the deaf one. And you see her like taking all the drugs in her medicine cabinet and throwing them out because it was, it was her realizing that power not to need that. And I used to take Advil all the time for headaches or whatever. Especially going through [university], you understand how that is. I’m just like, you know what, I had such a rush of, after watching that movie, I took, I even threw out my Advils, and I’ve never needed them since. And so, that’s kind of, that’s an example of where I don’t need that insurance, I don’t have to go buy it. And, if I ever do have a headache, which is probably like three times in that eight-year, nine-year period, very minor.

I: Let’s tie it back to the food issue, because one of the theories running around out there is because so much of the food we consume is this genetically altered …

S: Monsanto.

I: Monsanto. There’s, corn is completely different, the amount of steroids and things they put into beer and chicken. Even the treatment of animals is a hot topic issue. It’s all over the place. How much of that do you think ties into these fears that we have? What I put into my body?

S: I think a lot of it does. The people who are against Monsanto and the pro-organic, whenever you’re against something you create a fear. So if I’m saying I’m against, um, non-organic food or I’m against GMOs, well then, you create that fear that these things are bad. I’m not saying they’re bad or good because I don’t know. We haven’t done enough tests on Monsanto. But by creating that fear even we, it’ll even get in my head that it’s, well, I’ve got to be careful I don’t buy GMO. Then, the more I create that myself, I limit the foods I can’t eat. You know, at least in my mind. In reality, could I eat Monsanto and probably be fine? Probably. But, if I knew it was and I was eating it, that would exacerbate the food. I mean, that would exacerbate the food I’m putting into my system. And, I’ve noticed within myself, if I’m focusing on negativity, if I’m pissed off at someone or in a situation where I’m pissed off and not eating, it’s just, I’m gonna, I’m gonna have diarrhea that night. It won’t be the next day, it’ll just go right through me because I’m eating with anger. Doesn’t that make sense?

S: I mean, I’m not sure how much you’re into this.

I: No, this is all good, I mean, we’ll cycle back in and through.

S: And these are all things I’ve learned since, it was either taught to me sometimes or either, but mostly, the way I’ve learned is, and I’ve always thought this was odd, especially going through [university], I would have a revelation or an epiphany or I would have the experience, learn that way. And then, maybe like a week, a month, a year later or two years later, I would have the validation. I mean like, why is that happening? But, I realized because the, it comes from a book, it doesn’t have as much power as coming from me having the experience first. And then I’d have the validation later. Because, I think, I’ve grown up very skeptical of all this shit, trust me. Even though my mom was very into health food, you know, tried to instill that into her children, it was still kinda feel like, oh, that’s just mom. That’s how we are with our parents. So, but because of my own experience, I’ve been able to develop my own ways of doing things, whereas if someone tells me something, then I’m just kind of like a puppet. Being pushed around and the, with the food industry, with Monsanto, people saying pros and cons. And as much as I try to stay out of that, you still see it on Facebook. It’s because of the places that I hit “Like” on.

I: Getting back to the experiences, I wanna circle back into your background, um, how old were you when you first …

S: Had stomach stuff?

S: [ pause ] Here’s where it gets interesting. I believe it was, if I could trace back all the symptoms, I believe it was probably like, when I was, um, probably in my 20s, maybe 21, 22. I remember talking to a friend on the phone, going and asking like, “Don’t you just feel like wiped out after you go to the bathroom? You know have a, have a bowel movement?” And he’s like, “No.” ’Cause I used to work out a lot back then and I’m like, and that happens to me now where I’d have a bowel movement and I’d just, I’d just be exhausted. I’d have to take a nap. I mean, literally, take a nap. Um, and, but no one, who’s to know back then? No one talked about any of this stuff so I wasn’t aware that’s what’s going on. So, I would say probably around 21 is when I felt it started. Um, now, going back before that, when I was in college at [a western university], 18, 19, 20, or maybe even in high school, I drank a lot. And I’m talking Jack Daniels in one hand, Bacardi in another and have a couple of beers for chasers. And the reason I elected to be social, it was because, it actually didn’t make me drunk back then. I would be the designated driver and I was drinking that much. Because people were like, “You’re, you’re sober.” After a while, I stopped arguing with them. My blood alcohol content probably didn’t say that, I could function, yeah. So, I just drank because it was the thing to be social. I think, in the physical world as opposed to the emotional world, I believe that is what helped destroy some of the good lining in my stomach, the bacterias. And I believe that’s where it started. Because one, every year in the spring, this time of year, March, April, May, a month, I would have a stomach issue. And that started so, so the symptoms started when I was 21 with being exhausted after the bowel movement. You know, like, 25, I’m back from school living here. 25, 26, I would notice, like every year, for about four or five years I would have these issues of one-month stomach issues. And that’s exactly what I’m currently going through. Um, and then like gradually, I would have like acid reflux, and so I would take whatever people would, and it always exacerbated with alcohol. So finally, and that’s why I don’t drink too much. I can go six months to a year without drinking a drop. You know, it just depends where I’m at. Because, I know it’s going to re-effect it. Just from experience, I try not to put the thought in there and it doesn’t.

I: How’d that change socially? Did you notice a change at all? Was there?

S: Socially, I had to make, I had to make the, I had to make this decision to stop drinking. And when that happens people feel, like you think your friends are just like, “Oh, c’mon,” it’s really like a tug of war. It’s like, why is my drinking affecting you? In me going through that, it made me a stronger person. In that, like, per-, pressure way. And even the gluten stuff is like, some friends of mine I can’t even be gluten-free around. It’s like, I won’t even eat dinner with you. Sorry. ’Cause it’s like, especially if I go over to their house …

I: What is that conversation like?

S: Most of my friends know now, but like initially, certain friends, especially the ones from [a western university] that aren’t sensitive, mostly guy friends: “You’re fucking weird or pussy,” stuff like that. It’s like, it’s kinda like, “Oh, c’mon.” And I’ll even drink water that doesn’t have ice in it. I thought my mom was crazy growing up, doing that. I couldn’t do that. But my doctor even said, “Don’t drink water with ice in it because what it does is, it makes your stomach and your system work that much harder to digest the coldness and make it warm, room temperature again.” So, if you already have digestive issues, and I take …

I: Don’t they say, in certain diets, that if you want to lose weight you should drink cold water?  One of those little tricks that they tell you? Same with eating peppers.

S: Peppers actually do help me. Certain peppers with the intestinal lining, which wore away gradually due to, they call it leaky gut syndrome. And like, all the toxins within your stool with, be passing through. You’re supposed to absorb the good stuff and the toxins go out. Well, all the toxins were getting into my blood because the gut lining was so thin it started going through the wall. That’s what they call a leaky gut, which was contributing to the, um, chronic fatigue. Which I, and I don’t like to label it but, for me, it was chronic fatigue. Back to what your question was, I’m sorry.

I: How it affected you socially.

S:  Um, so socially I, I don’t, I don’t go to bars and if do it’s tough.

I: What specifically? Is it just the …

S: Because one, I’m not drinking this. But two, because most bar food is fricking fried and it’s got gluten in it. And, even if it’s not fried, it’s not the most healthy, you know? So, my choices are eat beforehand, meet people, sit around and talk while they eat and drink and, you know, you can still have fun. Like, I have friends that are alcoholics who, you can still have fun and, but you can’t, I mean, I just gradually stopped going. Dwindling, so socially, it’s like, to answer your question it’s, I’ll just tell you, I literally, I haven’t lost friends, but I don’t hang out with them as much as I used to. I mean, not nearly as much. I was out every night. Now, it’s sometimes once a month.

I: And that’s not something one can find, almost like a support group or …

S: And, it’s one of the things I was just gonna address which is, it’s almost easier to say, “I’m an alcoholic” than “I’m gluten-free.” It’s all easier to say, “I’m an alcoholic” than say “I can’t drink alcohol because I choose to not drink alcohol with you.” Because when you’re an alcoholic, people like give you that respect. That just is. But when you’re, when you make a choice for your health, to eliminate something out of your diet, it’s like, it really affects other people. And I had to learn that that’s not my issue. Just because you want to drag me into your hell doesn’t mean that, and I had to learn that, how to be strong enough, to stand up for my own health, really. And that’s what it boiled down to. I mean, literally, and one of the guys I’m talking about, kinda referring to is, I see him once every year or six months now. We used to hang out all the time. But because he couldn’t let go of that, and even with his daughter, she, he had a three-year-old who’s had issues with gluten. And I, we were out at dinner and they order it special, non-dairy because no dairy ties in with gluten. As well as alcohol and all that stuff, sugar. Um, and he, he was getting on her, and his family’s practicing medicine too. His dad and uncles are doctors. The words that came out of his mouth were, “I want her to eat normal cheese because I don’t like it.” So, I can live my life and I’m just thinking, and I don’t like, I don’t like to chastise my friends ’cause that’s their choice how they want to raise their family and live. ’Cause, I don’t want to do to him what they’d do to me basically. But when they say that, it’s like you’d rather put your daughter on drugs and medicine that might affect her later on, at three years old, than just get her off gluten for a while? And have her just be healthy? So, I don’t know, it’s for me. And I see her face too, it’s the irony of that. And it’s kinda like that lady, Louise Hay, who I think it was from 73, 75, she made the decision, not because of her health, because of her health, but not because she was gluten intolerant or anything like that. It was a decision before it was even popular to do no sugar, no dairy, no alcohol, and no gluten. I think no caffeine too, like there’s those kind of four or five things that could kind of contribute to the issues. She’s almost 90 right now. I mean, and that’s amazing in our society and she’s got her own publishing company.

I: Especially when it is not with the assistance of a plastic heart. Or something that has been artificially put in.

S: Exactly, so, and there’s probably everyone for her age, there’s probably other people that are smokers and, you know, do drugs all the time. So, who knows? I mean, I’m just saying, yeah  right. Anyway. All these things they’ve found for cures have also proven harmful to your system. So, she actually wanted to learn how to be able to get out of bed during the day because of her arthritis. Because of the gluten at the time. The more she looked into the diet, the more she researched, she learned gluten could affect it all. Back then, all it was was rice, bread, and that’s it. It’s better for me to have brown rice than white because of the nutrients. In the food aspect, I’ve gotten to points where I’m like, I don’t want to eat any more. Like, literally, I, my situation is probably different than others. I eat out almost all the time. I will eat like raw foods, which I’ve found is much better on my system besides processed foods.

I: What is your favorite kind of food?

S: I don’t eat pizza anymore, unless it’s from Picasso’s because they do a great non-gluten, non-dairy pizza that tastes great.

I: Were you a big pizza buff before that?

S: I ate a lot of pizza. I knew it wasn’t good for you but I did it. I mean, it’s cheap. I would eat Taco Bell a lot, and there’s things that I would do in college that I would only do in college that I wouldn’t do when I was out. And that was smoke pot. Although, I didn’t really inhale. As soon as I graduated, I was done. If you put something in your system, make sure it’s good. My dad connected that with gourmet. My mom, she said organic. I like seafood. Just have to be careful it doesn’t have a thickened sauce with flour. Afterwards, no pizza. The dairy will affect me as much as the gluten, if not more. Sugar’s been the hardest one. I can cut it out and be cold turkey. But the little increments I can’t do. Sugar also contributes to cancer. And, they’d rather fight cancer with chemo than do it the right way. The candida was the first thing that we addressed with my treatments. And that was over the course of maybe six months to eight months. Maybe longer, I don’t know. This is my memory. But then after that, we started treating me for parasites. Whether it morphed or it’s just, I think she was doing the stages.

I: And this is when you were seeing the doctor?

S: The chiropractor. And this is all out of pocket. I was seeing and what literally brought, OK, I was seeing her and she got me to a place where I was stable. I stopped seeing her for about three years. Um, I came back to her. It was hard for me to come back to her, not because I didn’t like her, but because, um, I had gotten to a point where I, I would wake up in the morning, go to the bathroom, like you know take a shit, and I was exhausted because like, literally, it was my gut was leaking. So like all the toxins were coming out through and it would burn and it, it was like draining. I learned that your stomach is your power center, it’s where you hold most of your power, and if that’s affected, you’re wiped out. That’s from my experience, I found out research that proves it, but I, or otherwise I’m just telling you what someone else said. So, I’d wake up in the morning, take a shit, ah fuck, go back to bed. I’d get up. I’m like, my God, I’ve gotta eat. I, get this, this was going on for weeks. I’d get up, go downstairs, grab something out of the fridge or out of a cupboard, eat some food, that would wear me out. It’s like it’s wipe me the fuck out. And I would go back to bed. Then I would take a shit. Like, this was throughout the whole day. I would stare at the ceiling looking, thinking, really start talking to God, “Why the fuck am I here? If you want me to, like, what do you want me to do?” It’s like, it’s like you have that conversation and it’s like, just kill me or take me, you know, because I don’t know if I can, if I can’t function, then what’s my purpose here? I can write about this, but I can’t when I’m exhausted. So, I got to this point where I’m just like I have to go back to this doctor. Literally, like, she won’t say anything. She doesn’t want to alarm me, and she knows me, ’cause like, we had this understanding. It’s OK, don’t tell me. Um, literally, she had to treat me for parasites. For all this stuff and she would gradually do it, without explaining to me the process. And I never asked. I didn’t care, because it’s like I don’t want this part to interfere with this part of, you know? If that makes sense? The mind and the stomach. Um, so I started seeing her and literally it was like, but I knew I was ready to die. And she’s like, “You, you’ve had this for a long time” and she’s like “We’re past the point of me treating this for you. You just felt good and stopped seeing me.” OK, I get it. I started seeing her again and like stage by stage we’re treating me for allergies. For gluten allergies, for, I actually started getting some arthritis symptoms here and there and they’d go away once she started treating for, um, for arthritis. She treated me for leaky gut. But you can’t do it all at once. Gradually you can, but she wanted to treat one thing at a time, to make sure it was working. And it was, but, you like, she comes from an engineering background before she became a chiropractor. Intuitive. Nutritional. So we stated with candida, then we would treat me for parasites. Then we would treat me for allergies. Food allergies. And then something emotional would happen, and it would be just like, I’d be back at square one. Not square one, but it felt like I was back at square one. And, when that emotional situation would happen, I can’t remember specifically what incidents back then, but something would set it off and I would either get pissed or all my symptoms started coming back. It can be a physical or emotional stress. My triggers are people attacking me with words. It goes right to my gut and I haven’t gotten past that sensitivity, especially when it involves anger. So, I understand the emotional part. Like people aren’t making this stuff up. How can you agree with one part they say and not the other? People are nuts, man. It’s like you have to do what works for you. When you’re living in a hole where everyone wants to tell you what to do, they don’t know your system. The only one who knows it and can empower it is you. I’ve learned to be stronger, to be able to walk with more confidence as opposed to going around life getting pushed around like a pinball machine. No matter what kind of people try to steer me off course. It’s harder to talk to myself because then I have to listen to this shit. It’s easier for me to explain it to people. I get that. More full life. More satisfaction in life. We always want to be better than our parents and have our children better than us. I’m more in tune with what I’m doing. I’d rather not have gluten at all and cheat after a while. When you have too much of the same food, eventually, your body will reject it because you’re not, it’s just the tolerance for it decreases. Just like the antibiotic. I would take antibiotics to get rid of lingering stuff. I didn’t know there were natural cures. My mom would always say, “All the doctors I go to tell me, only do antibiotics if it’s life or death.” Why wouldn’t they have medicine if it wasn’t good for you? Immunity. I’d done way too much. If I had a fever, I’d take a hot bath, then I’d start throwing up and that would be enough to kick the system. It’d burn my stomach. It was alcohol, it was antibiotics, it was whatever was destroying the lining. I didn’t learn how to express my emotions as a child. We hold our emotions in our gut.

[The interview continued but the participant addressed content not related to the central research question.]

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Dissertation Data Collection: Interview Transcript Example

Interview transcript:.

Researcher: Hello and thank you for accepting my invitation to participate in this study.

Interviewee: My pleasure.

Researcher: I would like to ask you several questions about your business.

Interviewee: Sure, go ahead.

Researcher: So my first question is how long have you been running your business?

Interviewee: I founded the company in 2013 so it’s been almost six years.

Researcher: Could you tell me a little bit about the business?

Interviewee: Well, we are an e-commerce shop that sells a whole bunch of digital goods, such as electronic books, online courses, and various software products. I used to sell some physical staff as well but had to abandon this idea at some point. Dealing with the hassles of inventory and shipping took much time and effort, while the profit was not as handsome as I expected it would be.

Researcher: How is the business doing right now?

Interviewee: We are doing quite well. Of course, we cannot compete with platforms like Amazon but at this level, the pace of growth is quite good I would say. In 2013, only my wife and I were running all the processes, accounting, and stuff. Today, we have two departments and a total of 17 employees. And we are still growing.

Researcher: It is good to hear. So my next question is about advertising. Do you find it effective in promoting your store and products?

Interviewee: Yes, of course, we allocate some budget on advertising and promotion. Since we are operating online, we mostly make use of social media to promote the company.

Researcher: Could you, please, provide some details on how exactly do you use social media for advertising purposes?

Interviewee: Well, we have accounts on the most popular social networking websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Social media is really about the community. If you have access to a strong community, you can make some money out of your business. People talk, you know, so if you have a couple of satisfied customers, they will spread the word.

Researcher: OK then. Another question I…

Interviewee: Oh, we also use online advertising on Facebook. But from where I can see this type of advertising ain’t highly effective. So we will probably check out how to optimise our advertising strategy.

Researcher: Do you use any traditional advertising channels, such as TV, radio, or printed materials?

Interviewee: No, there’s no point is using such channels to promote an online-based business.

Researcher: What about search engine optimisation (SEO)? Do you use it to generate traffic to your website?

Interviewee: SEO is a whole different story. As you know, traffic is the lifeblood of any website so SEO is perhaps the most important tool, along with social media, which helps us increase the traffic to the shop’s site.

Researcher: How exactly do you use SEO for advertising purposes?

Interviewee: We actively use site promotion because I think it is one of the easiest yet most effective ways to increase traffic. This tactic involves the use of keywords picked up by Google and other search engines to enable users to find our store. However, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, so our SEO strategy is not limited to using keywords. We also use some of the best and most sophisticated analytics and marketing instruments that provide detailed information about how visitors got to the shop and what they are doing on the website. Adding new content regularly is another SEO tactic we use to make the shop more attractive to search engines. Finally, we are trying to constantly add to the searchability of the website by having as many pages in Google’s index as possible. In this case, we add to the possibility that web users can find our site for keyword searches.

Researcher: That’s fascinating.

Interviewee: Indeed. We are also trying to maintain a high level of activity on social networking services, which allows us to drive more traffic on the website and hence, sell more stuff to our customers.

Researcher: With this level of SEO, are you experiencing any challenges or problems?

Interviewee: In business, there is always something you can do better. I ain’t going to tell you that there are no problems or challenges with SEO at all. We exist in a very competitive environment, so getting our website on the first page of Google’s search results is sometimes as tough as hell. There are various reasons for that, both technical and management. From the technical perspective, securing the website by an SSL certificate took us a lot of time. This certificate not only protects the content, which is shared between the website visitor and the website, it also improves SEO in the eyes of Google and other search engines. So I guess the challenge of getting the SSL certificate somewhat influenced the effectiveness of our SEO strategy to a certain degree. Also, having a highly response, supportive, and attractive design is crucial for getting your website optimised. While we have built our website on the basis of one of the best e-commerce platforms, we still have to optimise the code for our own purposes. To get the site working as we wanted was a real pain in the neck. You know, waiting 5 seconds to get a product page downloaded is not very good for customers’ psychological health (smiles).

Researcher: I see. Any other challenges?

Interviewee: As an e-commerce business, we need to provide unique content to be more searchable. We cannot just give some generic product description and wait for customers to come and make a purchase. So we tend to use custom-written product descriptions. However, the main problem with this type of content is its quality. After the release of Google’s Panda Algorithm, this issue has become of crucial importance. Generating easy-to-read and unique product descriptions is an important aspect of our SEO strategy.

Researcher: Can you think of any other instruments that could also help you generate website traffic in the future?

Interviewee: Actually, I am thinking of adding a blog on the store website to create new content on a regular basis to keep it fresh and attractive to Google’s search algorithms.

Researcher: Thank you for answering my questions.

Interviewee: No problem.

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This node provides an example interview transcript. Please note that the interview has not been edited nor does it represent a "perfect" transcript. It does, however, provide insight into the interview process. If you have any questions about writing your interview questions, preparing for your interview, or creating the interview transcript, please consult the other interview materials and/or contact me. interview transcript Interviewer: Student

Interviewee: Associate Head of Mechanical Engineering

Interview Setting: Interview conducted in office of [professor's] office in the mechanical engineering building. The interview was conducted at 3:30 PM on Wednesday afternoon.

Affiliation with interviewee: Professor has been my professor for two classes. I have also spoken with him privately regarding attending graduate school and areas of study.

(Start of Interview)

Interviewer: Particularly in regard to design and development, what are your duties as a mechanical engineer? Interviewee: Do you mean before I took this position or in this position. Interviewer: Both. Interviewee: In my position I have now, about half of my time is devoted to counseling and registration and other issues like that. About thirty to forty percent of my time is involved with teaching, doing preparation, helping out in the labs, and helping students. About five to ten percent of my time is spent being involved in academic committees and working with administrative items. Interviewer: Do you do any research? Interviewee: Most of my research is education-related. I have a grant from the National Science Foundation to put some CNC machines in the student labs to teach students. Interviewer: What types of research did you do before when you were an associate professor? Interviewee: I worked primarily with acoustics and noise control, with my emphasis being in active noise and vibration control. I worked with the aircraft fuselage and all of the vibrations and noises created in there and limiting their effects on the cockpit. Of course, automobile engines are also very noisy being so close to the driver. I also worked with compressors. I worked with really small compressors to really big compressors. I worked on small refrigeration units using passive and active control techniques. You�d be surprised at how big an issue refrigerator noise is overseas, in Europe and Asia with their tight living conditions. I also worked with huge engine compressors of up to sixty horsepower. That�s really big for a university, you know. I also worked with reciprocating compressors, screw compressors, scroll compressors, and rotary compressors. Interviewer: Most of your current grants are education-related though, correct? Interviewee: That�s right, most of them are related to education. But I don�t have much time in this job now to do that though. I feel that I need to teach with this job, because I need to have that link to the curriculum and the students. Interviewer: How much contact have you had with industry? Interviewee: I had quite a bit of contact when I worked as an associate professor. I spent quite a bit of time at the Herrick Labs. I worked with a couple of United Technologies companies, Sikorkey Helicopter and Carrier Corporation, who does refrigeration, Aspera, which is an Italian company that makes compressors, General Motors, and some governmental work. Interviewer: Did you ever work out in industry before you became a professor? Interviewee: I worked at NASA-Langley for a year after I graduated with my masters. It really isn�t like industry though. It�s an academic environment. It�s a very research-oriented environment. I also received an educational grant about a year ago to work the summer at Boeing. I worked in Philadelphia with the rotorcraft division. They make all levels of military aircraft. They make the Belle Boeing 609, which is a lot like a V-22. It takes off like a helicopter, straight up, and then the wings turn over and it flies. They also work on CH-47, which is a very old helicopter, in a support mode. They also do some work with the commanche attack helicopter. As you can tell, they work at a lot of different levels in the design. Interviewer: What is the difference between designing for a new product versus an older product? Interviewee: There are a lot of challenges no matter what the product. The military has been bringing old CH-47�s in to be repaired. Boeing has been gutting them out, leaving just a shell, and completely replacing the interior equipment. All of the design used to be on paper. The new Boeing 777 was a paperless design. They did a fly-through on the computer to check for interferences and other problems. One of the big issues with the CH-47 was whether to recreate this on the computer. It�s a difficult decision. It would make it a lot easier to make changes but it would take a lot longer. So they decided not to do it for this product. Interviewer: What skills are necessary for a mechanical engineer to possess? Interviewee: Number 1 is the technical skills. You�ve got to have those. Next are communication and teamwork skills. There is a need for intangibles to be successful. One of the big things at Boeing was timing. They had to pull together over 1,000,000 parts to make the 777. The engine had to come in at the right time to be connected to the fuselage, which had to be connected to other parts. I realized that what Boeing was doing was just a large-scale integration project. It requires a phenomenal amount of communication and scheduling. Being able to plan and schedule things is so important. You�re always behind time, over budget, and have to get deliverables to the customer. You have to make a decision with incomplete information. It�s a lot of gut feel and just making your best engineering judgement and taking your best shot. Interviewer: What are the worst skills, or characteristics, for an engineer to have? Interviewee: In some jobs, being highly individualistic can be a killer. Not in all jobs, but in some jobs. In a research environment, where an engineer can go off and do his own thing, that can be okay. But in the vast majority of jobs, not being strong in communication, and of course, technical skills, can have a very negative impact on your career. In fact, in a survey in the ASME magazine about two or three years ago, the top two skills employers wanted were communication skills and teamwork skills. Interviewer: What is the difference between the academic world and industry? I know there are some similarities too, what are those? Interviewee: In the academic world, people tend to be more reflective, more analytical, and less hands-on. That�s not always the case, but it tends to be that way. It�s partially because people who are attracted to this environment tend to be that way. In industry, the people tend to be more hands-on but the analytical skills tend to atrophy when not used. The academic environment cultivates those skills. But the environment is changing. There are more hands-on activities being added to the curriculum, along with some tighter links to industry. There is more of a need to be an entrepreneur and salesmen. Interviewer: What is the typical day in the life of a mechanical engineer like? Interviewee: A typical day varies radically for mechanical engineers depending on the job you have. A guy doing research is more independent, a guy doing customer service is dealing with people all day long, while a manager deals mainly with projects. It can really vary depending on what you want to do. Interviewer: What can a person do to improve their situation? Interviewee: The first thing is to define the company�s best practices. Define the process and look for ways to improve the process, to make it more efficient. I think that�s the idea behind the 9000 stuff, like ISO 9000 and QS 9000, to document the process. Unfortunately, some people just go through the motions, which is really a shame and a waste of time. You�ve got to take it seriously to do things the most efficient way. But I think the real key issue is getting people in areas they love to work. When you do that, the effort will be there. For example, I met a young engineer at Boeing who had been hired three times in the last three years by Boeing. She loved working with people and making decisions. Unfortunately, in her first two jobs she only made decisions once every two or three months and she hated it. Now they have her in a people where she�s working with people and making decisions and she loves it. I think it�s real important for companies to match people with what they love to do. Interviewer: In general, what methods or criteria are used to evaluate mechanical engineers? Interviewee: At Boeing, the backs of the engineer�s badges have criteria that is wanted for the engineers to work on at Boeing. There are twelve things: technical skills, communications, teamwork, initiative, productivity, continuous quality improvement, customer satisfaction, innovation and creativity, integrity � that�s really become a big issue in industry, especially at Boeing when I was there with the merger and all, leadership, risk-taking, and developing people. Interviewer: I find it interesting to see that risk-taking is on there. It seemed like that has never been encouraged at GM. Interviewee: Well, you can�t just go taking incredible risks. They are calculated risks. Interviewer: When designing a new product, what issues are typically given the most consideration? Interviewee: Again, it varies depending on the product. First, you have to understand the customer and find a way to give them what they want. You have to get a sense of where the market is going. Take inline skates. They came out of nowhere and now they�re selling four million skates a year. It was a local market in California and they took it national. Being able to see needs is very important and having the creativity to know how to meet them is the hard part. Interviewer: Is the procedure for process development similar to that for products? Interviewee: Yeah, I�d say they�re similar. You need to do some benchmarking on what�s out there to see where you stand and brainstorm to find what you can do. Interviewer: How are design procedures developed and followed in corporations? Interviewee: Wow, those procedures vary greatly and to tell you the truth, I don�t think they�re followed very tightly. Part of the problem is that I don�t think they are stated explicitly. You don�t want to be rigid, but you need to be efficient. You need to come up with a plan and extrapolate what you can based on your design. It�s a real art at this stage. It needs to be tailored to what you are trying to accomplish. There are multiple approaches to this, but it really needs to be designed explicitly and improved from there . Interviewer: What does a graduating mechanical engineer need to know that he probably does not know? Interviewee: It�s not so much what you don�t know as much as it is what will change. The things you like to do now might now be what you like to do in the future. Interest change in time and there must be a willingness to change with them. I think another important thing to recognize for some students is that your whole life is not your job. It can be very easy to ignore other things, but I think the real key is balance. The ME program is very rigorous and everyone is working very hard, and as a result sometimes they don�t recognize the need for balance. Interviewer: Thanks for your time. Interviewee: You�re welcome.

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Dissertation examples

Listed below are some of the best examples of research projects and dissertations from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Leeds We have not been able to gather examples from all schools. The module requirements for research projects may have changed since these examples were written. Refer to your module guidelines to make sure that you address all of the current assessment criteria. Some of the examples below are only available to access on campus.

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