Basics
Develop your own transparent, consistent and comprehensible system for referring to conducted interviews. Explain your chosen system in your thesis, e.g. in the methodology section or at the beginning of the results. How exactly you indicate interview excerpts depends on the purpose and, if applicable, your professors’ requirements.
It must be clear who the interviewee is, which interview it comes from, and where the quote is located (line, segment, paragraph, page etc.).
In the following example, the source is indicated line by line. In the interview transcripts you must display the line numbers for this:
Interview XY, L. 114–118
The following format is suitable when using MAXQDA or other software for qualitative data analysis:
BT, Int 3, Segment 4
BT, I3–4
BT here stands for the anonymised interview partner. It is the third interview, and in that interview the 4th segment, which can be located via MAXQDA.
If less precision is sufficient, you can also indicate the page number of the transcribed interview. You should explain how to read the short reference in the methodology section:
Example: The results are illustrated with references to the data. For example, the form I1–4 is used, where I1 stands for “Interview 1” and the following number indicates the paragraph number in the respective interview.
Direct quoting
Here is an example of how to quote directly from your data:
Example:
It is remarkable how Jonas takes on his new role to observe how people react to discrimination:
“We performed twice, once at the party and once at the university. At the party, I played a security guard who didn’t let refugees into a club. In my next role, I was a German person who owned a house and didn’t want to rent it to refugees.” (Interview 2, paragraph 14).
Indirect quoting
The following are several possible ways of quoting indirectly from your data. Other formats are also possible – the main thing is that readers understand what your references mean.
Paragraph:
JM already emphasised in the first interview (paragraph 5) that there are also subtle forms of discrimination.
JM emphasised that there are also subtle forms of discrimination (I1–5).
Line:
JM already emphasised in the first interview (lines 5–8) that there are also subtle forms of discrimination.
JM emphasised that there are also subtle forms of discrimination (I1, L. 5–8).
Interview:
The observations of JM changed fundamentally. These changes become particularly clear when comparing the first and second interviews.
Interviewees:
Several of the interviewees showed a high sensitivity to discrimination after the intervention (JA, GK, PE).
After the intervention, sensitivity to discrimination increased significantly (JA, GK, PE).
The abbreviations JA, GK and PE refer to different interviewees. You must explain this elsewhere in the thesis, e.g. in the methodology section or the first time each abbreviation appears. The results are illustrated with references to the data. For example, the form I1–4 is used, where I1 stands for “Interview 1” and the following number indicates the paragraph number in the respective interview.
Providing information in the appendix
In the appendix, you could optionally include the full transcripts of the interviews if necessary. Clarify this with your professors.
Frequently asked questions
How can I cite interviews?
Interviews can be cited directly or indirectly.
How do I refer to the conducted interviews?
Depending on the purpose and your professor’s requirements, develop your own transparent, consistent and comprehensible system for referring to the conducted interviews. Explain your chosen system in your thesis, e.g. in the methodology section or at the beginning of the results.
What should I pay attention to when referring to interviews?
It must be clear who the interviewee is, which interview it comes from, and where the quote is located.
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This article was published in August 2025 and last updated in November 2024.