What happens when you break unwritten local customs? Conducting "elite" interviews at a time of COVID-19

The experience of conducting remote elite interviews during COVID-19 has helped me to reconsider the feasibility and benefits of employing remote research methods in future research projects. In the past, I was sceptical about the effectiveness of remote methods in producing knowledge, and the legitimacy and reliability of data collected from a distance. Nonetheless, through this experience I learned that participants can also be open and candid during phone interviews, producing both rich data and very engaging conversations, writes Joanna Octavia.