In-depth interviews and participant observation both hold substantial strengths and weaknesses which heavily depend on the topic being studied. “Qualitative research is not so much the formalised application of methodological routines as it is in the case of measurement-based research… Therefore, we should know more about how intuition in research works, and more generally, how research practices and routines work in qualitative research” (Flick, 2007). As social research methods, the two require advanced interpersonal skills and a great deal of patience in order to successfully conduct the research project. On balance, in-depth interviews are more reliable in terms of ensuring that the participant answers the questions directly, as opposed to the researcher having to spend more time observing to attain their information. Additionally, in-depth interviews allow the interviewer to steer the conversation to their preference, enabling them to draw as much information as possible in shorter amount of time. Participant observation may offer a deeper level of understanding in terms of gaining insight into the groups behaviour, however, the in-depth interview offers that with the additional benefit of being able to directly ask the interviewee as opposed to solely observing the behaviour. The information retrieved from participant observation may have more of the sample groups influence due to the researcher spending a prolonged period of time with the group, solidifying the in-depth interview’s position as a more reliable method of retrieving genuine data. The in-depth interview contains the benefits of participant observation, while also having a minimal number of limitations as a research method. Overall, in-depth interviewing surpasses participant observation as the more effective method by appearing as a reliable method of data collection, while having a lower probability of bias occurring and obtaining as much depth and insight as would be obtained through the participant observation method. It is a genuinely successful method of qualitative research and is rightfully used more often than participant observation to educate ourselves on our society.>