Keep up with the latest in industry trends, hiring best practices and career advice.
The Critical Need for High-Quality Data Collectors: Avoiding Misinformation
Posted on
Research survey budgets are tight and scientists are increasingly concerned with obtaining high-quality data at the lowest possible cost. The budget of any research project depends upon a number of factors and can vary from one project to another. While web-based survey can be the most economical way in which to rapidly reach a large number of respondents, this kind of survey methodology does not suit all project types or target populations. Qualitative surveys, in particular, require skilled data collectors to ensure the validity of the resultant data. This clear correlation between the acquisition of high-quality data and the utilization of experienced, trained data collectors has been the recent subject of the 2017 GRITS report.[1]
Operating under tight fiscal constraints, research organizations have less available resources to hire and train data collectors in-house than in previous years.[2] Whether scientists require call-center staff to complete webcam-based interviews, participants for focus groups, or experienced qualitative in-person interviewers, they are increasingly looking for research partners with a data collection arm to fulfill this growing need. In a time when information is often greeted with skepticism, or dismissed as ‘fake news’, it is critical that the data collected be beyond reproach.
Headway Workforce Solutions has been proud to provide experienced data collectors in support of both small-scale, regional projects as well as large-scale, nationwide survey projects.
[2] The 2017 GRIT report states that field interviewer hiring is down 4% over the previous year, and that 19% of research organizations do not provide in-house data collection training.
