Editing Interview (section)

{{short description|Structured series of questions and answers}}
{{Other uses|Interview (disambiguation)}}
{{Research}}

[[File:Sara Prigan (41497467772).jpg|thumb|A musician interviewed in a radio studio]]
[[File:Job interview.jpg|thumb|A woman interviewing for a job]]
[[File:10944 Ειρήνη και Άννα Βασιλείου.jpg|thumb|Athletes interviewed after a race]]
[[File:Street interview (2329143109).jpg|thumb|[[Street interview]] with a member of the public]]
An '''interview''' is a structured [[conversation]] where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.<ref name=twsMerriam>Merriam Webster Dictionary, [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interview Interview], Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016</ref> In common parlance, the word "interview" refers to a one-on-one conversation between an ''interviewer'' and an ''interviewee''.  The interviewer asks questions to which the interviewee responds, usually providing information.  That information may be used or provided to other audiences immediately or later.  This feature is common to many types of interviews – a job interview or interview with a witness to an event may have no other audience present at the time, but the answers will be later provided to others in the employment or investigative process. An interview may also transfer information in both directions.

Interviews usually take place face-to-face, in person, but the parties may instead be separated geographically, as in [[videoconferencing]] or [[telephone interview]]s.  Interviews almost always involve a spoken conversation between two or more parties, but can also happen between two persons who type their questions and answers. 

Interviews can be unstructured, freewheeling, and open-ended conversations without a predetermined plan or prearranged questions.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3OdBAAAAIAAJ&q=Non-directive+counselling+as+an+effective+technique|title=Frontier Thinking in Guidance|last1=Rogers|first1=Carl R.|date=1945|publisher=Science research associates|location=University of California|pages=105–112|access-date=March 18, 2015}}</ref> One form of unstructured interview is a focused interview in which the interviewer consciously and consistently guides the conversation so that the interviewee's responses do not stray from the main research topic or idea.<ref name="Jamshed 87–88">{{Cite journal|last=Jamshed|first=Shazia|date=September 2014|title=Qualitative research method-interviewing and observation|journal=Journal of Basic and Clinical Pharmacy|volume=5|issue=4|pages=87–88|doi=10.4103/0976-0105.141942|issn=0976-0105|pmc=4194943|pmid=25316987 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Interviews can also be highly [[structured interview|structured]] conversations in which specific questions occur in a specified order.<ref>[http://www.sagepub.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book226668 Kvale & Brinkman. 2008. InterViews, 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.] {{ISBN|978-0-7619-2542-2}}</ref>  They can follow diverse formats; for example, in a [[ladder interview]], a respondent's answers typically guide subsequent interviews, with the object being to explore a respondent's [[subconscious]] [[Motivation|motives]].<ref>2009, Uxmatters, [http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2009/07/laddering-a-research-interview-technique-for-uncovering-core-values.php Laddering: A research interview technique for uncovering core values]</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=15 Tips on How to Nail a Face-to-Face Interview |url=https://blog.pluralsight.com/15-tips-on-how-to-nail-a-face-to-face-interview |website=blog.pluralsight.com |access-date=2015-11-05 |archive-date=2015-10-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011095130/http://blog.pluralsight.com/15-tips-on-how-to-nail-a-face-to-face-interview |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Typically the interviewer has some way of recording the information that is gleaned from the interviewee, often by keeping notes with a pencil and paper, or with a [[Digital video recorder|video]] or [[Sound recording and reproduction|audio]] recorder.

The traditionally two-person interview format, sometimes called a one-on-one interview, permits direct questions and follow-ups, which enables an interviewer to better gauge the accuracy and relevance of responses.  It is a flexible arrangement in the sense that subsequent questions can be tailored to clarify earlier answers.  Further, it eliminates possible distortion due to other parties being present. Interviews have taken on an even more significant role, offering opportunities to showcase not just expertise, but adaptability and strategic thinking.