Interview Protocol Generator
A comprehensive interview protocol builder designed for qualitative researchers. Create professional interview guides with structured sections, 7 question types (open-ended, probing, follow-up, clarifying, hypothetical, comparative, and devil's advocate), time estimates, and interviewer notes. Supports structured, semi-structured, and unstructured interview approaches. Perfect for thesis research, dissertations, case studies, ethnographic studies, and any qualitative investigation requiring systematic data collection through interviews.
Key Features
- 7 question types with specific purposes
- Open-ended questions for broad exploration
- Probing questions to dig deeper
- Follow-up questions for continuity
- Clarifying questions for understanding
- Hypothetical questions for possibilities
- Comparative questions for analysis
- Devil's advocate questions for challenging assumptions
- Organize questions into thematic sections
- Section descriptions and time estimates
- Reorder sections with up/down controls
- Reorder questions within sections
- Time tracking per question (minutes)
- Total interview duration calculator
- Customizable introduction script
- Consent reminder section
- Customizable closing script
- Interviewer notes for each question
- Support for structured interviews
- Support for semi-structured interviews
- Support for unstructured interviews
- Preview mode with professional formatting
- Print-friendly protocol layout
- Export to text format for Word/printing
- Export to JSON for backup
- Import from JSON
- Browser localStorage persistence
- Duplicate questions for efficiency
- Question type statistics dashboard
- Research questions tracking
- Target population specification
- Additional notes section
- No login required
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is an interview protocol and why do I need one?
An interview protocol is a structured guide listing questions, prompts, and procedures for conducting research interviews. It ensures consistency across interviews, helps you cover all research aims, provides flexibility for follow-up questions, and documents your methodology for proposals and publications. Protocols also help nervous interviewers stay on track and ensure IRB compliance by standardizing procedures across participants.
How many questions should my interview protocol have?
Aim for 8-15 main questions for a 60-minute interview (5-7 minutes per question including follow-ups). Fewer than 6 questions may not provide sufficient depth; more than 20 questions rushes participants and sacrifices depth. Include opening questions (rapport building), main questions (core research aims), and closing questions (participant reflections). This tool helps organize questions into sections with time estimates.
Should interview questions be open-ended or closed-ended?
Qualitative interviews use primarily open-ended questions allowing participants to share experiences in their own words. Avoid yes/no or multiple-choice questions. Good questions start with "How," "What," "Tell me about," or "Describe." Bad questions start with "Do you," "Are you," "Would you." Include probing prompts ("Can you say more about that?" "What did that mean to you?") to encourage elaboration. This tool provides prompt suggestions for different question types.