SEO fieldnotes

Interviews and quotations

25 checkable notes for interviews and quotations.

1. Prepare an interview evidence mapAn interview risks collecting opinions without examples.
2. Ask a neutral follow-upA leading question supplies the desired answer.
3. Separate recollection from recordsA participant remembers a result but lacks dates.
4. Capture quote contextA memorable line changes meaning outside its conversation.
5. Trim a quotation responsiblyA long quote needs shortening for a small format.
6. Distinguish paraphrase from quotationA polished summary is mistaken for verbatim speech.
7. Build a transcript correction passAutomatic transcription changes product names and numbers.
8. Handle an inaudible passageAn unclear word sits inside a critical statement.
9. Manage off-record boundariesA participant shares useful material with restrictions.
10. Request quote verificationA subject needs to check accuracy without rewriting the story.
11. Resolve contradictory interviewsTwo participants describe the same event differently.
12. Prepare an expert introductionA credential is relevant only within its actual scope.
13. Use anonymous testimony carefullyAn unnamed source cannot be independently assessed by readers.
14. Write interview consent notesPermission to speak is being confused with permission to reuse.
15. Choose a representative quoteThe most dramatic statement is an outlier.
16. Interview for a process storyThe conversation stays at the level of success slogans.
17. Build a remote interview backupA recording failure could erase the only source.
18. Attribute a group discussionSeveral speakers contribute to one idea.
19. Use a translated quotationTranslation introduces editorial choices.
20. Prepare sensitive interview questionsThe subject may not want to disclose personal details.
21. Summarize a long interviewA transcript contains more than one publishable thread.
22. Handle a withdrawn quoteA selected excerpt is no longer available for the intended use.
23. Review quote graphicsA visual treatment can change perceived emphasis.
24. Build an interview fact sheetMultiple writers need consistent names and roles.
25. Close the interview source trailThe finished story needs recoverable provenance.