Key points at a glance
- Check university, ethics and privacy requirements before recruitment.
- Explain purpose, procedure, recording, access and storage.
- Document voluntary participation and audio-recording choices clearly.
Check your institution’s process first
Ask your supervisor whether ethics review, approved participant information or a privacy procedure is required. Generic forms are especially risky with sensitive data or vulnerable groups. Prepare the material before inviting anyone; missing information can be difficult to remedy after an interview.
Explain the study in plain language
State the study purpose, expected duration, topics, voluntary nature, contact person and intended use of the data. Explain who can access raw material, how it will be protected and the planned deletion or archiving. If names will be replaced in transcripts, describe that process without promising perfect anonymity where it is impossible.
Address recording and withdrawal
Agreeing to be interviewed is not necessarily agreeing to an audio recording. Explain recording separately and any viable alternative. Describe withdrawal rights accurately for your actual procedure; once data are irreversibly anonymised, identifying a particular contribution may no longer be possible.
Store consent records carefully
Use your institution’s approved format and separate signed forms from interview files. Restrict access to both. For instance, label a transcript with a participant code and protect the code-to-name list elsewhere. Do not upload interview material to an AI service unless the applicable permissions and rules allow it.
Final submission context
Formal details can feel like a separate writing task, but they matter just as much for a printed submission. Anything missing, misplaced or inconsistently formatted in the document will also appear in the bound copy.
Use this guide together with your cover page, table of contents, page numbers, source notes and appendices. Prepare the final PDF for printing and binding only after the complete file has been checked.
Practical check before PDF export
- Do headings, chapter structure and page numbers match?
- Are sources, figures and tables included completely?
- Are required elements such as declarations, appendices or the cover page included where required?
- Did you open and check the final PDF after exporting it?
Checklist
- Confirmed institutional and ethics rules.
- Prepared participant information before recruitment.
- Explained audio recording separately.
- Planned secure storage and deletion.
Common mistakes
- Using an unreviewed internet form.
- Treating participation and recording as one choice.
- Uploading identifiable interviews to external tools.
Prepare the finished thesis for submission
Once the content and university requirements are checked, review your PDF and the available printing and binding options.
Review printing optionsRelated content
Explore related guidance on thesis structure, sources, formatting and final submission.
Frequently asked questions
Must consent always be written?
The suitable form depends on the design, data and institution; check the local requirement.
Can I record without explicit agreement?
Do not assume so; establish the lawful and approved procedure before interviewing.
Can someone withdraw later?
Explain the rights and practical limits that apply to your specific data-processing stage.