Conferences

This presentation will discuss guidelines for the design and implementation of cross-national data collections with an emphasis on quality assurance, control, monitoring and the development of quality profiles across the survey lifecycle. As the number and scope of studies covering many cultures, languages, nations, or regions have increased significantly over the past decade, there has existed a growing need to provide information on best practices across the multiple aspects of cross-cultural survey design and implementation to ensure the collection of high-quality comparative data. However, there is very little published material on the details of implementing surveys that are specifically designed for comparative research, including what aspects are to be standardized and when local adaptation is appropriate. The Cross-Cultural Survey Design and Implementation (CSDI) guidelines initiative was created to address this gap. Specifically, the aim of the initiative was to develop and promote internationally recognized guidelines that highlight best practice for the conduct of comparative survey research across cultures and countries. The intended audience for the guidelines includes researchers and survey practitioners planning or engaged in cross-cultural or cross-national research. The guidelines cover all aspects of the survey life-cycle and include the following chapters: (1) Study and Organizational Structure; (2) Tenders, Bids and Contracts; (3) Ethical Considerations; (4) Sample Design; (5) Questionnaire Design; (6) Translation; (7) Adaptation; (8) Survey Instrument Design; (9) Pretesting; (10) Interviewer Recruitment and Training; (11) Data Collection; (12) Harmonization of Survey and Statistical Data; (13) Data Processing and Statistical Adjustment; (14) Dissemination of Survey and Statistical Data; and (15) Assessing Quality for Cross-Cultural Surveys. The guidelines can be found at http://ccsg.isr.umich.edu.