ABSTRACT
Interviewing in the social sciences has a long tradition, going back to research by sociologists such as Thomas and Znaniecki (1918-20), but it is of equal importance in social science research today. As much as 90 per cent of contemporary research (Briggs, 1986) relies on interviews as a method of data collection. This trend is paralleled by a growing interest in research methodology. There are an increasing number of publications on the conduct of empirical research in the social sciences, which include guidance regarding good practice in interviewing (e.g. Corbin and Strauss, 2008; Flick, 2009; Hollway and Je erson, 2000; Johnson and Christensen, 2007; Kvale, 2007; C. Marshall and Rossman, 2006; Silverman, 2009).
