ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to understand how often forensic interviewers take notes during investigations of suspected child maltreatment, what kinds of notes they take and why some interviewers choose not to take notes. One hundred and thirty-one U.S. forensic interviewers were surveyed. Sixty-one percent of forensic interviewers reported taking notes during interviews. For those who took notes, they did so for follow up later during the interview, remembering and accurately recalling demographic information, and being able to use the exact wording and body-part terminology used by children. Forensic interviewers who did not take notes held concerns about concentration during the interview, a perception that notes were unnecessary, policies or beliefs that note-taking was prohibited or the belief that taking notes was not evidence-based. Researchers should conduct more field and experimental studies to examine the effects of note-taking to determine the benefits and costs of taking notes during forensic interviews.