Credibility, authenticity and voice: dilemmas in online interviewing

Abstract

This paper explores the methodological issues encountered when using email as a web-based interview in on-line qualitative research. By drawing on two separate research studies that used this method to explore participants' understandings of their professional experiences and developing professional identities, the researchers consider the methodological implications in using this approach. These include issues affecting the credibility and trustworthiness of the research design of the studies and issues around the authenticity of participants' voices and how that was affected by power and control in the interview process. Despite these dilemmas, the paper recognises the contribution that web-based approaches can make to research by allowing researchers to hold asynchronous conversations with participants, especially when they are distant from the researcher, and to generating reflective, descriptive data. It leads us to conclude that it is worth refining our methodological framework to strengthen the trustworthiness and credibility of future research studies that use email.

Ethical issues in online educational research: protecting privacy, establishing authenticity in email interviewing

“…(James and Busher, 2006). Whilst their prior knowledge of the researchers face-to-face gave them some confidence to continue with the research, we needed to be aware of the cultural and political boundaries of our research participants' lives as well as meeting the requirements of participants' different legal and cultural systems (AoIR, 2002:3).…”

“…These are key debates for Internet research, and certainly raised ethical considerations in our research work that used email interviewing (see for example Busher, 2006, andJames, 2007 forthcoming). The aim of this paper then is to critically examine the challenges the researchers faced in protecting participants' privacy and anonymity, and establishing authenticity online environments, including the way in which ownership of online research conversations and identities are experienced and expressed.…”

Compassion, Dominance/Submission, and Curled Lips: A Thematic Analysis of Dacryphilic Experience

“…Asynchronous email interviews were deemed the most appropriate interviewing method, as initial participation interest indicated a majority of participants in the USA. By using asynchronous email interviews, problems related to timedifference are avoided, making it the preferable method in long distance studies (James & Busher, 2006). All interviews began with a set of structured questions designed to obtain: (i) participant demographic information (e.g., age, nationality, education); and (ii) a basic profile of the individual participant's dacryphilia (e.g., first dacryphilic experience, specific arousals within dacryphilia, other sexual interests).…”

“…Furthermore, the use of online asynchronous interviews was useful in allowing participants to provide descriptive and reflective accounts of their dacryphilic experiences 25 (James & Busher, 2006) and was more cost-effective and less time consuming to carry out than face-to-face interviews (Granello & Wheaton, 2004;Kraut et al, 2004).…”

The Use of Online Asynchronous Interviews in the Study of Paraphilias

“…However, asynchronous interviews also have a number of disadvantages (James & Busher, 2006): (i) responses can be incoherent owing to the gap between asking a question and following-up; (ii) it is difficult to immediately clarify the meaning of an ambiguous or misunderstood question; (iii) questions may come across in the wrong way and lead to interviewees withdrawing; (iv) interviewees are unaware of how many questions will be asked in total, which may cause stress; and (v) e-mails may be sent to a junk folder or remain unseen by interviewees, effectively ending the interview.…”