Oral history guide

Before the interview

1. Explain the purpose: what will be recorded, where it will be published and who will see it.
2. Agree a time and a quiet place, and ask whether the narrator would like a family member present.
3. Prepare a few open questions about places, people's roles and how things were done, not just dates.
4. Check your recorder and microphone, and bring spare batteries or a charger.

Consent checklist

Record consent before you start, and again at the end if anything sensitive came up.

• The narrator agrees to be recorded and understands how the recording will be used.
• The narrator chooses whether their name is shown, or prefers a description such as "a former pearl diver from Al Wakrah".
• The narrator knows they can stop, skip a question or withdraw parts of the account later.
• Consent is noted in the account's rights record (interview consent) with the date.
• For anyone who cannot consent alone, a trusted person helps, and the narrator's wishes still come first.

Media rights checklist

• You know who owns the recording and who may publish it.
• Each photograph or document has a recorded rights holder and permission.
• Music, film clips or published material are quoted briefly or used with permission.
• The licence you choose for publication matches what the narrator agreed to.

During the interview

1. Start by recording the date, place and the names of people present.
2. Ask open questions and let silences be; memories often come a little later.
3. Ask how the narrator knows something: did they see it, hear about it, or read it?
4. Pause if the narrator seems tired or upset, and offer to continue another day.

Protecting people who are mentioned

Accounts often mention people who never agreed to be named. Redact personal details about them before publishing.

• Remove or shorten the names of private individuals who are criticised or described in sensitive situations.
• Leave out health, family disputes, debts and similar personal information about others.
• Replace precise home locations with a neighbourhood or town.
• Record what you removed in the third-party redactions field, without repeating the removed details.
• When in doubt, leave it out; a member of the family can ask for an account to be corrected.

Dates, places and evidence

1. Use approximate dates when you are not sure: a year, a decade or "around" a year.
2. Give a date range when events lasted several seasons or years.
3. Name places as people knew them, and add today's name where it helps.
4. Say whether the account is a recollection, an interpretation or documented, and list your sources.

After the interview

1. Transcribe the recording, keeping the narrator's own words and dialect where possible.
2. Share the transcript with the narrator and correct misunderstandings together.
3. Publish with captions or a transcript so everyone can follow it.
4. If someone remembers it differently, add an alternative account rather than overwriting the original.