Select suitable interviewees. Choose persons who will lend authority to your research subject. Contact a medical doctor if you are writing a paper on hospitals, for example, or a professional actor if the topic is dramatic arts. Reach out to any person directly related to the subject, if the paper involves research on a specific event.
State your reason for contacting any potential interviewee with courtesy, respect and professionalism. Tell the person who you are, the subject on which you are writing your paper and why you believe he will make a suitable interview subject. Thank any potential interviewee who is not interested in speaking. No one is obligated to talk to you and, if you are courteous, perhaps this person will have a change of heart later.
Ask all interview subjects to sign a short release. The release is a permission slip that grants the researcher the right to use any notes from the conversation within the paper. Have the interviewee sign and date the release prior to the interview.
Write a list of questions you wish to ask your subject prior to the interview.
Ask several icebreaker questions at the start. Icebreakers are basic questions that help you and the interviewee relax. Asking a doctor how long she has practiced medicine is an example of an icebreaker.
Take notes as your interviewee gives answers. You may opt to use a tape recorder, in which case, ask the interviewee if it is OK for you to record the conversation.
Follow up on any questions as necessary, and ask the interviewee if it is okay for you to contact him with any follow-up questions.
Send a handwritten thank you card to the interviewee no more than seven days following the conclusion of the interview. Thank her for her time and the information she provided you.