Editorial Process
Editorial Process:
All of those interviewed for this website were given a detailed description of the WGSS Digital History Project prior to participating and signed a consent form that gave us non-exclusive license to provide public access to the final version of their interview. Following the recording and transcription of each interview, interviewees were offered the chance to read through the transcript and make any changes they saw necessary. In some cases, the interviewer also edited the transcripts for clarity, although we aimed to keep the content true to the original conversation. Explanatory or additional information appears in brackets and, where available, we have linked to related resources.
Our editorial process follows the advice of the Oral History Association (OHA) that:
All those who use oral history interviews should strive for intellectual honesty and the best application of the skills of their discipline. They should avoid stereotypes, misrepresentations, and manipulations of the narrator’s words. This includes foremost striving to retain the integrity of the narrator’s perspective, recognizing the subjectivity of the interview, and interpreting and contextualizing the narrative according to the professional standards of the applicable scholarly disciplines. Finally, if a project deals with community history, the interviewer should be sensitive to the community, taking care not to reinforce thoughtless stereotypes. Interviewers should strive to make the interviews accessible to the community and where appropriate to include representatives of the community in public programs or presentations of the oral history material. (OHA 2009; http://www.oralhistory.org/about/principles-and-practices/)
Given the unique purpose of this site and the controversial and personal subjects some interviews covered, we decided to prioritize giving editorial authority to interviewees over their own words. In a few cases, we chose to redact (remove) names or information that could identify an individual to protect their privacy. In most cases, editing did not compromise the content of the interview. If a user/reader is concerned about inclusion of any information on the site, please contact us and we will review the material.
Ultimately, our editorial process aimed to give both the interviewer and the interviewee the opportunity to publish a story that felt authentic and one they felt comfortable sharing in a public digital history.
Disclaimer:
The intention of interviews in this collection is to gather and present stories of individuals who are or have been involved in the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Program at the College of Wooster. The interviews focus on the history of WGSS scholarship and the formation of Women’s Studies (now WGSS) at the College of Wooster. This digital history is ongoing and will offer opportunities for future research to look for patterns in the successes and challenges faculty and alums have faced within the discipline.
Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the interviews belong solely to the interviewee and do not represent those of the College of Wooster, the WGSS Program, or any other faculty, staff, students, alums, or visitors/speakers who are or were associated with the College or Program.