Quality & Ethics

A badly defined target population, a weak sampling frame, a question nobody understands or an incorrectly programmed routing cannot be fully repaired by hundreds of later checks.

At ID the quality process therefore begins with the research design. In every project the research questions, the sample design, the questionnaire, the field method, the control plan and the analysis approach are handled consistently with one another.

The aim is not to "complete the survey" but to produce data genuinely fit for making a decision.

1. Pre-field quality

Technical and methodological review of the questionnaire, electronic programming, testing of skip and logic rules, pilot implementations and enumerator training.

2. Monitoring during fieldwork

Interview counts, durations, field distribution, quotas and sample progress are monitored regularly. In CAPI and CATI, paradata, timing and operational indicators are checked according to the project structure.

3. Back-check and verification

A defined share of completed interviews is re-checked. Contact with the participant, whether the interview genuinely took place, basic demographic information and critical answers can be verified. Verification rates are set by project need; on large studies mechanisms of 20% and above can be applied.

4. Data quality control

Missing values, inconsistent answers, unusual interview durations, repeated records, logical contradictions and outliers are examined systematically.

5. Corrective action

Quality control is not carried out only to find a problem. When a risk is identified the field team is informed, retraining is carried out where needed, problematic records are re-verified and the field implementation is revised if necessary.

At ID it is therefore not enough for enumerators to know the questionnaire. They are trained on the purpose of the research, the characteristics of the target group, interview ethics, impartiality, privacy, sensitive questions, field protocols and data security.

Because how a question is asked can change the answer it receives. For us a quality field operation is not only reaching the right person; it is reaching the right person in the right way.

Voluntary participation

Participation in the research rests on the principle of consent freely given.

Informed consent

The purpose of the research, the nature of the interview and how the data will be used are explained as clearly as possible.

Privacy and confidentiality

Personal information is processed only to the extent the research requires and is protected against unauthorised access.

Do no harm

The questionnaire, the field process and the reporting approach are designed so as not to create unnecessary risk or pressure for the participant.

Impartiality

Enumerators, researchers and analysts work in a way that does not steer the participant’s answer.

ID therefore applies procedures that take account of KVKK and GDPR principles in data collection and processing. Depending on the requirements of the project, this can include limiting personal data, defining access rights, secure data transfer, separate identification files, anonymisation or pseudonymisation, secure archiving and data retention policies at the close of the project.

The aim is simple: collect the data the research needs; do not collect what it does not.

Field teams are briefed on appropriate standards of conduct, the steps to follow in sensitive situations, and confidentiality and reporting processes.

The purpose of the research is never more important than the safety of the participant.

At ID, findings are not altered to meet a client’s expectation. The report follows what the data says. Uncertainties, methodological limitations and data constraints are stated as openly as possible.

Because our task is not to produce "the desired answer"; it is to produce defensible evidence.

ID therefore considers it important to set out clearly the method by which results were produced. The sampling approach, the field period, the interview method, weighting, data cleaning, the analysis method and any limitations are inseparable parts of the reporting process.

This approach is the basis of ID Perspective: showing not only the result, but how the result was produced.

CAPI, CATI and CAWI systems are supported by electronic questionnaires, automatic control rules, field progress tracking, paradata analysis, digital dashboards and data validation processes.

KoBoToolbox and similar digital collection infrastructures allow data quality to be monitored while fieldwork is still running. The aim is for errors to be identified during fieldwork rather than after the project has closed.