Q. What is the difference between a discussion and an interview? I am putting endnotes into a book by an investigative journalist who has conducted several interviews, but it appears that the examples given in the manual under the interview section are for discussions. Is a discussion less formal? For instance, without a set time and date?
A. Generally speaking, a discussion is a less formal and less scripted talk or debate between two or more equal participants where either no one is in charge or there is a moderator, whereas an interview is more formally conducted by a person who asks questions, sometimes from a prepared list, although interviews can also be informal and spontaneous. There is no doubt some overlap between the two. CMOS 14.108 shows examples of citations of an interview as well as of a discussion.