Discussion guide

Also known as a topic guide, this is an outline of key issues and areas of questioning used to guide a qualitative interview or group discussion. Such guides vary greatly in level of detail and in how flexibly they are applied - some use 'discussion guide' to refer to a more structured and 'topic guide' to refer to a looser, more open form.

In the 'cognitive' model of qualitative market research a very detailed guide may be applied consistently to every group or interview; in the 'conative' model a less detailed guide may be used, and this is likely to evolve significantly as the project progresses.