How to contact the source

Roxanne Catalan

To contact the source is a significant step in preparing for an interview. This can also be the hardest one since this includes introducing yourself and scheduling for an interview. To contact the source may also mean confirmation of the topic because the source has the choice to accept or neglect the invitation.
Here are some ways how to contact the source, may it be through letters, emails, and calls and if you’re close enough, through text messages (though it isn’t ideal to use since it isn’t formal).


Ø Researching through the net, browsing files and documents

After deciding what your topic is, researching about the source can give some information how to reach him/her. If your source is well-known, scanning the newspaper can also help. Surfing the net gives you email addresses and sometimes contact numbers. Some sites also point you to an alternative and closer site.
The net gives you a wide range of information, may it be relevant or irrelevant. Thus, it can be said “patience really is a virtue.” This is because you cannot find contact details right away.

Ø Visiting the company or the organization the source is part of

Visiting his/her company/office or organization is another option. You may leave a letter asking for an appointment. Given the instance that he/she might be not at the office can give you no worries, you can give the letter to his/her secretary or other people present in the place. Instead of talking with the source personally, these people can give some details how to contact the source. Since the contact details come form these people, you are rest assured that they are true and helpful.


Ø Asking friends or related and knowledgeable individuals

If you personally chose the topic, some of your friends may have some connection to your source. Thus, asking for their help can give improvement to your work. Just try to expand your circle of friends.
If not, you can ask people who can provide you information. This can be your teachers. They know more than what you expect them to know. Moreover, individuals who are inclined to the field similar to your source can also help.

Ø Another option that gives you details where to contact the source is by attending workshops, seminars and forums in connection to your topic

Most students arrived at a certain angle of the story through being aware and expose to these events. Here you are given the opportunity to ask the source immediately after the event for an interview or his/her available time. However if that doesn’t work, you can approach the organizers or facilitators of the event and try to explain to them what you want. Also, some of these events give programs and sometimes brochures with contact numbers. Being a keen observant really matters here!


After all, to contact the source needs a lot of patience and hard work. In the end, it is the source who has the right to say when and where to conduct the interview, not you.