Q UALITATIVE METHODS are rela- tively new in the area of psychology, with challenges underpinning the development of quality criteria for qualita- tive research (Elliott et al., 1999; Yardley, 2000). Having a set of quality criteria is important because as qualitative methods in psychology evolve, we are more interested in ensuring the robustness of qualitative methodology, design and analysis. This reflective methodological paper aims to explore and reflect on the use of telephone interviews in qualitative psychological research. I conducted an electronic search for papers relevant to the use of telephone interviews in qualitative research using keywords and combinations of keywords like ‘qualitative’, ‘interview’, ‘telephone’ and ‘methodological’ in databases like PsycINFO and PubMed. I found no psychologically- oriented methodological papers but a few methodological papers that were focused on nursing (e.g. Carr & Worth, 2001; Garbett & MacCormack, 2001). The use of telephone interviews in quali- tative research is not only limited but also offers the room for reflecting what we as researchers can achieve by using them as opposed to face-to-face interviews. Even though telephone interviews are extensively used in quantitative research (Carr & Worth, 2001) a number of methodological text- books advise researchers to avoid using tele- phone interviews in qualitative research (Gillham, 2005; Legard et al., 2003). The use of a telephone is thought to minimise the richness of qualitative data by restricting rapport (Shuy, 2003), excluding participants who do not have access to a telephone (Carr & Worth, 2001) and by the absence of visual encounters between the interviewer and the interviewee (Garbett & McCormack, 2001). On the other hand, cost-effectiveness (Chapple, 1999), geographical disparity and disclosure of sensitive information due to a relaxed environment (Novick, 2008) can be conceived as benefits of telephone inter- viewing in general. From an ethical point of view it also minimises the risk of researcher’s safety (Carr & Worth, 2001). Recently an exploratory study (Irwin, Drew & Sainsbury, 2013) used Conversation Analysis to investigate interactional differ- ences between face-to-face and telephone semi-structured qualitative interviews. They ascertained that telephone interviews had fewer common formulations of interviewee talk by the researcher, fewer frequent researchers’ acknowledgements, they tended to be shorter, and included more inter- QMiP Bulletin Issue 18, Autumn 2014 23 © The British Psychological Society Reflexive piece The use of telephone interviews in qualitative psychology research: A reflective methodological exercise Angelos P. Kassianos There is little evidence on how telephone interviews are used in qualitative psychological research compared to face-to-face interviews. This reflective methodological exercise explores the use of telephone interviews as a method in relation to interviewing prostate cancer patients about their dietary changes in a recent study. In conclusion, both methods of collecting data are qualitatively different and can offer a range of advantages. The decision must be based on the aims of the study, the population studied, the interviewer’s experience and the decisive balance between cost-effectiveness and wider demographics on the one hand and richer data on the other.