Jiménez, T. R., & Orozco, M. (2021). Prompts, Not Questions: Four Techniques for Crafting Better Interview Protocols. Qualitative Sociology, 44(4), 507-528.

Jiménez and Orozco's work focuses on enhancing the quality of data gathered through in-depth interviews by refining interview protocols. They argue for the use of prompts rather than questions to encourage richer, more respondent-driven narratives that capture the salience of experiences, the structure of normalcy, perceptions of cause and effect, and views on sensitive topics. The authors propose four specific prompt formats: grand-tour prompts, counterfactual prompts, comparing states prompts and no-limits prompts. These techniques aim to reduce researcher bias and encourage uncensored responses by making respondents feel like experts and minimizing their fear of social isolation. The authors demonstrate the effectiveness of these prompts, providing illustrative examples from various sociological research projects and highlighting how these techniques are more likely to reveal unexpected insights. Ultimately, they advocate for a shift in thinking about interview protocols, emphasizing flexibility and respondent-led exploration of relevant topics.

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