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Composition

Resources for Composition I and Composition II courses

Why Use Interviews?

You are the interviewer.

  • Interviews let you collect real stories, opinions, and expert voices.
  • Your interview can spark new ideas and lead you to other sources.
  • Here’s the process you’ll practice: Interview → Transcript → Generative AI → Library databases → Cite
  1. Prepare and conduct your interview
  2. Turn your recording into a transcript
  3. Use generative AI to find main ideas and topics
  4. Search the library databases for sources
  5. Cite your interview

Prepare for Your Interview

  1. Write 5–7 open questions (questions that cannot be answered with yes/no). It's a good idea to do some background research so your questions are relevant.
  2. Practice your questions out loud before you start.
  3. Get or check the app you'll use to record your interview on your phone (Voice Memos, Recorder app, etc.) or laptop (Teams, Zoom, etc.).
  4. Test your phone or laptop recorder.

👉 After you get you prepare, conduct your interview.

Watch this 4-minute video that walks you step-by-step through conducting an interview from preparing to thanking your interviewee.

Tip: Use the CC button to enable captions. If the player doesn't load, use the links below.

▶️ Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Conduct Your Interview

  1. Get permission to record before you start the interview.
  2. Find a quiet place to record.
  3. Ask follow-up questions if you want more detail.
  4. Listen more than you talk.
🎤 Tip: Speak clearly and pause between speakers so the transcript is easier to edit.

👉 After you have your interview recording, turn it into a written transcript.

Turn Your Recording into a Transcript

Upload your audio to YuJa

Canvas menu screenshot YuJa circled in yellowTry YuJa, which is included in Canvas. Find it on the side menu.

 Upload your audio and it will create a transcript for you.

👉 After you get your transcript, use generative AI like ChatGPT to find takeaways and topics for further research.

Use Generative AI to Find Ideas

Take the text of your transcript and copy it into a generative AI tool (like ChatGPT). This will help you make the interview easier to understand and turn it into research topics.

🤖 Copy & paste this prompt:

Summarize this transcript in 5 easy bullet points. After that, give me 3 topics I can type into the library databases to find sources.
  1. 5 bullet points = the main ideas from your interview
  2. 3 topics = good starting points for more research

 

👉 After you get your topics, search for them the library databases.

📝 Practice with this transcript:

📄 Read the Ed Marx Interview Transcript

Or copy & paste this prompt:

Summarize this transcript in 5 easy bullet points. After that, give me 3 topics I can type into the library databases to find sources. https://blog.odit.uci.edu/podcast-episode-8-interview-with-ed-marx-transcript/

Search the Library Databases

Now it’s time to use your topics to find articles in the library’s databases. We’ll use Gale Research Complete as an example, but you can try this with other databases, too.

🔎 Tip: If you don’t find what you need in Gale Research Complete, try the same topic in other library databases. Each database has different articles and strengths.

👉 Generate sample citations for sources you find in library databases.

👉 Add your interview to your Works Cited list.

Cite Your Interview

Finally, you'll need to add your interview to your Works Cited list.

In MLA style, the author is the person you interviewed (not you).

Works Cited entry:
Lastname, Firstname. Personal interview. Day Month Year.

In-text citation:
(Lastname)

Example:
Works Cited:

Patel, Jordan. Personal interview. 12 Sept. 2025.

In-text citation: (Patel)

📝 Tip: Always list the person you interviewed as the author in your Works Cited. You are the interviewer, not the interviewee.

Recap

Your process is: Interview → Transcript → Generative AI → Library databases → Cite