The interview synopsis will be the first thing a researcher sees when browsing the oral histories. Therefore, the synopsis needs to be well-written, and it must provide the essential details for the researcher to determine if the interview will be useful. The synopsis should be concise (approximately 150-200 words) and should follow a template. Follow this template:
- The 1st sentence should include the name of your interviewee and basic information such as age, hometown, ways they identify, and the community partner they are affiliated with.
- In the next 2-3 sentences, elaborate on the details the interviewee shared in their oral history.
- Add 1 sentence with the keywords to clue the researcher to the value of this interview for research purposes, e.g. “This interview covers topics such as …”.
- In 1-2 sentences explain how you met your interviewee, and how the interview was conducted, e.g. “The interview was conducted via Zoom in order to practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
- In the final sentence, say who you are. “The interview was conducted by ____, a third year Ethnic Studies major at UCSD who is interested in …”.
Look at other oral history posts on this site as examples.
TIP: Use a KWL chart to take notes. (Know, Want to Know, Learned), which will be useful when writing the interview synopsis.
