Q. Where can I find tips on conducting an interview with a professional in the criminal justice field!

Before you write your questions, you will probably need to do some preliminary research so you have some familiarity with the topic. I've linked to our Criminal Justice guide below. At the top are pages that provide info by format (book, article, streaming media) and pages for specific subjects (policing, courts of law, etc.). This should help you get started.

I am happy to help you find more specific information, if you have your topic narrowed down a bit. We can also help you to use our resources. If you would like that, you can write back, contact us via chat or come to the library in person. If you are off campus, you will have to log into our databases for articles, videos, and eBooks with your last name and 7-digit COM ID.

The Criminal Justice guide has a page with resources for writing essays. Our Writing for College guide might also help you, if you want to check out the Informative Writing and Essay Writing pages.

I've also  linked to Purdue Owl's tips on conducting interviews below. This guide provides general tips that you may find helpful. I've also linked to a PowerPoint presentation that they provide that gives more info on conducting interviews for a class assignment.

Be sure to refer to specific instructions from your professor. Some instructors have students write an introductory and conclusion paragraph, and transcribe the interview questions and responses in the body of the essay. Others want the interview turned into a narrative essay. If your assignment is to turn the interview into a narrative, below are some links to help you organize your paper.

The last link, Oral History: The Writing Center at UNC, provides tips on incorporating interviews into different types of essays depending on the focus of your paper. Scroll down a bit to the section Turning the Raw Material into an Essay and read through the next section, Decisions You'll Need to make about your project.