UMass Boston

One essential component of high-quality data is good survey instrument design and the key to that is question evaluation.  CSR is a recognized leader in this area, engaging in methodological research to further develop and refine the techniques used to improve survey instruments.  CSR routinely uses structured evaluation and testing methods, including laboratory techniques (focus group discussions and cognitive interviews), traditional field test methods, and standard measurement protocols to elicit quantitative feedback from interviewers and respondents. The goal of these activities is to determine whether drafted questions present tasks that respondents can perform, are consistently understood in the way they were intended, are measuring what they're designed to measure, and can be administered in a standardized way. Several CSR staff have international reputations in the area of question evaluation, and CSR is involved in numerous projects where our role is specifically in the area of questionnaire design, question evaluation, and other pre-survey development activities.  CSR can conduct focus groups and cognitive interviews in-person or by video, using a service such as Zoom.