You have a passage from an interview for your findings chapter, but a name, place or distinctive detail could give away who said it. First, write down what the passage shows. Then mark every detail that could identify the person. Quote a shorter passage word for word if you can use it within the terms of your study without revealing the participant's identity. If someone could still recognise them, consider a paraphrase. Leave the passage out if that would still identify them.
What could give away who is speaking?
A full name identifies someone directly. A combination of ordinary details can do the same, such as the name of a small organisation, someone's role and the date of an event. Think about what colleagues and other participants already know. Check the details about people mentioned by the interviewee, too.
Warsaw University of Technology distinguishes between confidentiality and anonymity. You can know who a participant is and restrict access to information about them. If you keep a key linking the code W04 to their name, replacing the name with the code is called pseudonymisation. Adam Mickiewicz University's guide points out that a combination of details can identify someone even without that key. You still need to assess the passage itself.
From the raw interview to a quote in the findings
In this fictional sociology thesis, your research asks what makes it hard for volunteers to take regular shifts. The conversation, details and location below are invented.
Working transcript
Interviewer: What changed after your first few shifts?
Participant: I'm Nina Brzeskot, the only person who ran the late-night bicycle workshop on 17 May at the Splot Community Centre in Miedzina. I took shifts at first. Then I stopped because the rota came out too late for me to arrange childcare. I didn't ask anyone to change the date.
The sequence matters. The participant had been taking shifts, then found it hard to arrange childcare because the rota came out late. Her name identifies her directly. The venue, date and role together could identify her even after you remove her name. The finding can be presented without those details.
A direct quote using the original wording
If the childcare detail does not identify the participant when read alongside the rest of the thesis, you could write:
W04 linked her decision to stop taking shifts to the late release of the rota. “I took shifts at first. Then I stopped because the rota came out too late for me to arrange childcare.”
The example uses two consecutive sentences word for word. It shows how W04 explained her decision. In the next sentence, she says she did not ask anyone to change the date. The quote offers no evidence that the organiser turned down such a request.
A paraphrase when the childcare detail could identify the speaker
W04 initially took shifts but stopped when the late notice made it difficult to fit them around her caring responsibilities.
This is a paraphrase, so it has no quotation marks. It keeps the sequence and W04's reason while omitting the detail about the child. If the reference to caring responsibilities would identify her in this group, look for another passage about the issue. If removing the detail changes what she meant, leave the passage out or narrow your claim to what other interviews support.
How to explain the changes in your methods chapter
Explain what the interview code means, which details you removed or made more general, and how you distinguish quotes from paraphrases. Use the conventions for your degree programme. If you omit words from inside a quote or replace a name with a description, mark the change according to that convention and check that the passage still means the same thing. When substantial changes are needed, a paraphrase makes the distinction clearer. Keep working records and any code key in the protected location agreed for the study, separate from the version you plan to share.
Example methods paragraph. In the findings, interview contributions are identified by codes such as W04. Passages were selected to exclude details that could identify participants, including organisation names and dates of distinctive events. Quotation marks identify verbatim extracts. Where a detail could identify someone, the passage was paraphrased if its meaning could be preserved without revealing the participant's identity.
Check the passage against the whole thesis
- Read the quote alongside the sample description, other quotes from the same person and the appendix. Details removed from one part may still appear elsewhere.
- Compare the passage with the working transcript. Check who is speaking, what they are referring to and whether the shortened version keeps the original meaning.
- Check how the study arrangements allow you to use the material, including any future access to the thesis. Talk to your supervisor if you are unsure whether the participant could be recognised.
If you also need to organise your transcripts and code the material, see How to analyse interviews for a thesis: from transcription to analysis.
What to prepare for a consultation on interviews
What should I send for the analysis of interviews in a sociology thesis?
Send anonymised transcripts, the interview guide, the aim and research questions, and a description of participant selection. Include the adopted analysis method and the supervisor's comments, if you have them. Based on this, I will determine the scope of organising themes, summarising statements, and editing the chapter.
Sources
- Huras, P. (20 October 2023). Anonimowość i poufność badań społecznych. Strategic Analysis Department, Warsaw University of Technology.
- Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań. Jak przygotować wniosek do Komisji Etyki ds. Projektów Badawczych? Poradnik. Chapter 6, Zbieranie danych w badaniach naukowych. Accessed 10 November 2026.
Discuss how to present interview material in your chapter
Tell us what your study is about, what your supervisor has said and what you are finding difficult. An invented example is enough to discuss the writing. Keep participant details and recordings in the location agreed for your study.
