Back to Contents • • • • Ensure that your manner remains impartial at all times. Do not use ‘leading questions’ Be mindful that certain topics might be sensitive to ask Do not be afraid to interrupt! This may mean asking for clarification or politely suggesting to move on to the next question if the interviewee goes off topic or it becomes apparent they do have the appropriate expertise or sufficient information to speak authoritatively on the topic If it is unclear what information the interviewee is basing their statements on, seek clarification The EU common guidelines states “Additionally, it may also be useful to ask a respondent to clarify or give more factual background to support a statement. This will often be the case where a declaratory statement or Policy position has been given on a particular topic. Requesting additional factual information to backup a statement or position will help give a clearer perspective or a rationale to what has been said, and may also remind the respondent why they have a particular viewpoint. In some instances it may challenge their own assumptions or bring out any potential bias or advocacy on the part of the respondent in a neutral, non-confrontational way.” (Pp. 20-21) In the interest of source validation, ask the interviewees to identify where any information they rely on can be found by our researchers after the interview. Step 9: Citing the interviews and writing up the full report After each interview, the interviewer will transcribe the recording in full and verbatim, with only very minor adaptations being made to enhance comprehensibility. Interview transcripts will be saved under a unique reference number, rather than using interviewees’ names if requested. The document which links interviewees’ names to each unique reference number will be password protected and only accessible to project staff. This transcript will then be returned to the interlocutor, giving them 14 days to sign it off. This transcript should then be sent to the Programme Manager which will be appended in full in the report. If the interviewee wishes certain excerpts to be made anonymous, they will be cited as such in the body of the report and not included in the appended full transcripts. The report drafters will select relevant excerpts from the interviews and present these under the corresponding research headings in the report alongside the findings from the desk review. The coordinator should use this opportunity to add any additional COI that was mentioned in interviews and then make any further edits to the report, ensuring that the following points have been addressed: • • • • • • • General formatting should be in line with Asylos’s ‘research handbook’ Each source should be introduced separately with a concise summary identifying any patterns in convergence or disagreement in the sources consulted, rather than summarising the content of the sources Ensure the list of sources consulted is complete, with access links and information about when the sources were accessed (this is crucial for the user of the report to trace back the original source) To further aid transparency, it is crucial to provide page numbers for each excerpts to facilitate access to the original source The final report should include a note on who instructed the interviewees and when (month and year), and a list of the documents the interviewees were provided with A full transcript of each interview should be included as an appendix at the end of the report, excluding any excerpts that the interviewee wished to keep anonymous Fully anonymous interviews are included as an appendix without any further identifying information Following final edits, the report will be sent to the Steering Committee for review. The committee will use this opportunity to revise and update the findings from the desk based research. Once the committee have made their edits, the full report will be sent to each stakeholder detailing how they have been cited, with a copy of their interview transcript / written submissions, to sign off. Stakeholders should be given a 14 day deadline for this, after which we will assume that they are satisfied. 17. Appendices 149