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Getting Started with Oral History
Denise Schwartz interviewing Judy Raper, Resiliency During COVID-19 Pandemic Oral History Project, Greenfield Community College, February 25, 2022, Digital Commonwealth.
Oral History Guiding Principles and Practices
1. The oral history process as a whole must be guided by respect for narrators and the communities from which they come. It is important to honor diverse cultural practices, ways of knowing, and perspectives.
2. The interviewing process must be transparent with ongoing participation, consent, and engagement between interviewers and narrators.
3. When doing oral history, be sensitive to any differences in power between the interviewer and narrator as well as any differences in interests and expectations.
4. Throughout the interview process, both the narrator and interviewer must be protected from harm. Questions about painful experiences can be difficult or even harmful, particularly for narrators. It is important for all participants to approach the interview with care and understanding.
5. Be transparent about the ways you plan on making your interview(s) available and used; narrators must give explicit permission to make interviews public.
6. While planning an oral history project, be thoughtful and vigilant about the possible consequences to narrators and their communities of both the interview process and the use of interviews afterwards.
Adapted from Oral History Association Core Principles, 2020.
Transparency and informed consent are key to creating a trusting and respectful relationship between interviewers and narrators. By recording your interview, you and your narrator are creating a unique and original work. Obtaining informed consent means that any narrator or person involved in an oral history project gives their permission to participate after knowing and fully understanding:
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Their rights as co-creators of a recorded interview
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The project's purpose or objective
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Potential outcomes of the project (like how the recording may be used and stored)
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Any potential benefits and risks of participation
As an interviewer, give your narrator(s) as much information about your project as possible. This information is necessary for the narrator to decide whether or not to participate in the project. We recommend that both the interviewer and narrator review the "Information for Interviewers" and "Information for Participants" sections of this research guide before an interview.
Once you and your narrator(s) feel well informed, it is a best practice that both parties sign a consent and release form, even if you plan to keep your project within your family or community. A consent form establishes, in writing, that all participants are willing to be recorded and consent to you using the interview in publishing online, transcribing, or other uses. The oral history agreement found here has been used by oral historians affiliated with Columbia University; for other examples of consent and release forms, please see the "Forms and Checklists" section of this guide. Please note that these forms in no way constitute legal advice.
Adapted from Oral History Association Principles and Best Practices Glossary, 2020.
In 2022, the Oral History Association adopted a set of guidelines for social-justice oriented oral history. These guidelines are not hard and fast rules, but instead offer some best practices and valuable thought exercises for oral historians of all experience levels. They encourage us to think, through every step of the interview process, about balancing the power structures in oral history, what participation in oral history can mean for activists and members of vulnerable communities, and ways to practice accountability.
To read the guidelines in full, see: Oral History Association Social Justice Task Force, “Guidelines for Social Justice Oral History Work,” 2022.