A survey is a systematic method of collecting data from a population of interest. Information is gathered by asking individuals questions, using structured and standardized questionnaire. Surveys are mainly quantitative in nature. Surveys aim to collect information from a sample population that is representative of the overall population, within a certain degree of error. Survey Research is defined as the process of conducting research using surveys that researchers send to survey respondents and statistically analyzing collected data to draw meaningful research conclusions. Survey research has developed with scientifically tested strategies detailing who to include (representative sample), what and how to distribute (survey method), and when to initiate the survey(time) and follow up with non-responders (reducing non-response error), in order to ensure a high-quality research process and outcome. Advantages: Allow for relatively straightforward recruitment and consenting procedures. Gather accurate data about an individual’s subjective memories or personal accounts, knowledge, attitudes, appraisals, interpretations, and perceptions about experiences. Integrate effectively with other research methods as supplemental or complementary approaches to ensure data quality and validity(Data triangulation). key approaches: Qualitative and Quantitative Data Collection Approaches Data collection process: Make logistical arrangements Prepare and pretest the questionnaire Select appropriate field workers Train the field workers Choose and prepare the equipment Carry out the pilot study Set up computers and hire data processing staff Make arrangements for returning questionnaires to central authority/ headquarters Prepare for collecting supplementary information Address ethical considerations Integrity of data collection: The primary rationale for preserving data integrity is to support the detection of errors in the data collection process, whether they are made intentionally (deliberate falsifications) or not (systematic or random errors). The two approaches that can preserve data integrity and ensure the scientific validity of study results which are implemented at different points in the research timeline are: Quality assurance Quality control

1. Presenters:
• Sunita Poudel
• Usha Thapa

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Contents
• Introduction
• Advantages of survey research
• Qualitative and Quantitative Data Collection Approaches
• Data collection process
• Integrity on data collection
• References
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Introduction-Survey
• A survey is a systematic method of collecting data from a
population of interest.
• Information is gathered by asking individuals questions, using
structured and standardized questionnaire.
• Surveys are mainly quantitative in nature.
• Surveys aim to collect information from a sample population that
is representative of the overall population, within a certain
degree of error.
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Introduction-Survey research
• Survey Research is defined as the process of conducting research
using surveys that researchers send to survey respondents and
statistically analyzing collected data to draw meaningful research
conclusions.
• Survey research has developed with scientifically tested strategies
detailing who to include (representative sample), what and how to
distribute (survey method), and when to initiate the survey(time) and
follow up with non-responders (reducing non-response error), in
order to ensure a high-quality research process and outcome.
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Advantages of survey research
• Allow for relatively straightforward recruitment and consenting
procedures.
• Gather accurate data about an individual’s subjective memories
or personal accounts, knowledge, attitudes, appraisals,
interpretations, and perceptions about experiences.
• Integrate effectively with other research methods as
supplemental or complementary approaches to ensure data
quality and validity(Data triangulation).
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Advantages of survey research
• Allow for consistent administration of questions across a
sample, as well as carefully crafted administration across multi-
lingual contexts .
• Enable highly complicated back-end rules (“survey logic”) for
tailoring the user experience to ensure only relevant questions are
presented.
• Deploy with relatively low costs and rapid time frames compared
to in-person methodologies.
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Data collection
• Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring
information on variables of interest, in an established systematic
fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test
hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes.
• Before an analyst begins collecting data, they must answer three
questions first:
What’s the goal or purpose of this research?
What kinds of data are they planning on gathering?
What methods and procedures will be used to collect, store,
and process the information?
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Qualitative and Quantitative Data
Collection Approaches-Key Differences
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Data collection process
1. Make logistical arrangements
2. Prepare and pretest the questionnaire
3. Select appropriate field workers
4. Train the field workers
5. Choose and prepare the equipment
6. Carry out the pilot study
7. Set up computers and hire data processing staff
8. Make arrangements for returning questionnaires to central authority/
headquarters
9. Prepare for collecting supplementary information
10. Address ethical considerations
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1. Making logistical arrangements
• Setting Reporting authority/Centres/Headquarters
• Contacting local authorities where the survey will be carried out
• Deciding on the size and composition of the field teams
• Arranging accommodations, transportation and security
• Arranging to obtain or prepare copies of local maps.
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2. Preparing the questionnaire
• Before training begins, translate the questionnaire into all the
major local languages.
• The questionnaire should be translated by one person and then
another translator must independently translate the questionnaire
back into the original language.
• The two versions can then be compared and discuss any words
which seem to be ambiguous or confusing, and agree on the
correct translation.
• All the interviewers must ask the questions in the same way.
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2. Pretesting the questionnaire
• The translated questionnaire must be pretested in the field.
• The pre-test should identify potential problem areas.
• Apply the pre-test to respondents similar to those who will be
interviewed during the survey with the helpof future supervisors
or interviewers.
• Do not make final copies of the questionnaire for the survey until
after you have pre-tested, and, if necessary, revised it.
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3. Selecting the fieldworkers
• The quality of the information obtained from a survey depends on the
quality of the work done in the field which requires competent team of
interviewers, supervisors and editors.
• The field supervisor’s job is to:
 Identify the clusters to be surveyed
 Supervise interviewers as they perform the survey
 Ensure that the interviewers follow instructions
 Answer interviewers’ questions as they arise
 Control data quality
 Identify problems and retrain interviewers who are doing their job
incorrectly.
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The field editor’s job is to monitor interviewer performance by:
 Observing several interviews every day, especially during the early stages
of fieldwork
 Editing all completed questionnaires in the field, before leaving the cluster
 Conducting regular review sessions with interviewers
 Compiling completed questionnaires from a cluster and packing them up
to be sent to the central office.
The interviewer’s job is to:
 Identify the specific households to be surveyed
 Gain the consent of respondents to be interviewed
 Conduct interviews using the standard questionnaire
 Maintain standard procedures in conducting the interviews and recording
the answers.
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3. Selecting the fieldworkers

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• The interviewers, supervisors and editors should be:
 Intelligent and educated
 Willing to follow instructions precisely and accurately
 Polite and able to establish a good relationship with
respondents
 Fluent in the language of the respondents.
• Previous survey experience is not necessarily a positive factor.
While participation in well conducted surveys can be an
advantage, previous involvement in poorly planned and
implemented surveys may have led to bad interviewing habits that
may be hard to correct.
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3. Selecting the fieldworkers

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• You should also try to avoid overqualified interviewers, who may
follow their own agenda and stray from the precise techniques
developed for conducting the survey.
Example:
 In some countries, medical doctors were used for data
collection, often with disastrous consequences due to their
inability or unwillingness to follow the questionnaire
instructions precisely and their tendency to make medical
diagnoses during the interview.
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3. Selecting the fieldworkers

21. 4. Choosing and preparing the equipment
• Notebooks for the supervisors/editors
• Clipboards
• Backpacks or other types of bags
• Pens (blue for interviewers, red for editors
and supervisors)
• Bags for filing questionnaires
• Envelopes for filing control sheets and maps
• Paper clips, staplers, staples
• Sleeping and cooking equipment (if
necessary)
• Geographic Positioning System (GPS) units
• Weighing scales and accessories
• Length/height boards
• Salt iodization testing kits
• Calendar of events (to aid in respondent
recall)
• Display set of vitamin A capsules (recall aid)
• Display set of antimalarials (recall aid)
• Display of insecticide-treated mosquito nets
• Literacy test cards
• Flashlights
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Important: In addition to this equipment, fieldworkers should also carry letters of introduction to the
households, preferably on official letterhead, and identification cards with their photograph.

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5. Training the fieldworkers
• Collecting high-quality data will only be possible if enough time is allowed
to train the supervisors, editors and interviewers thoroughly.
• Training should be provided by senior survey staff.
• At least two trainers will be necessary for each classroom to be able to
conduct practice sessions.
• It is recommended that a separate trainer who is a seasoned professional
in that area with experience in the field be used for training in
anthropometry. In addition, it is often helpful to organize lectures by
authorities in the various fields covered in the questionnaires, such as
education, maternal and child health, child protection, HIV/AIDS, etc.
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• Always select more potential interviewers than you will need.
• Train all of them and select the required number at the end of the
course.
• Train the field workers on:
 Objective of the study
 Theoritical concept of the study issue
 How to obtain sample
 Describe the tols that are going to use for data collection
 How to operate devices that are going to be used for data collection?
 How to collect and keep record of data?
 How to handle and storage of data?
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5. Training the fieldworkers

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• Train the field workers on: (contd.)
• How to ensure data validity and reliability during data collection?
• How to share data to research team?
• What are the possible obstacles for data collection?
• What should be considered during data collection?
• This will guarantee that only the best fieldworkers will be involved in
the study, and will also provide a few additional interviewers in case
you need replacements.
• Provide training certificates to all participants of the training course,
including those who will not be employed for the fieldwork.
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Guidelines in conducting the training
sessions
• Training and practice sessions must be conducted in a participatory
fashion.
• Ensure that trainees get experience in asking the questions:
demonstration interviews, front of-class interviews and mock interviews.
• It is best to schedule practices for the latter part of the day.
• Use audio-visual aids, such as overhead projection, during the training.
• Inviting a high-level official to open and close the training course
• Motivate trainees by issuing certificates showing course completion.
• Trainees may be given homework assignments, including readings, and
they can be asked to complete interviews at night, perhaps with other
family members, relatives and neighbours.
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Example of a training course for
fieldwork staff
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Days Activities
Day 1 Explain thoroughly the purpose of the survey and introduce survey
instruments.
 Arrangement of opening ceremony; introduction; framework of survey;
administrative arrangements; details of working hours, pay, survey schedule,
transportation arrangements; survey instruments, everyday procedures
Days 2–8 Discuss the survey procedures and questionnaire
 Discuss interviewing techniques;ethical issues; questionnaire structures, module
by module discussion on questionnaires, demonstration, role playing interviews,
brief written exams to test understanding, homeworks
Day 9-12 Conduct a field exercise and have further discussion of interviewing
 Practise reading maps, organize practice in the field, observation, feedback,
discussion on problems and solutions, ask the participants to share their ideas
and suggestions for dealing with difficulties.

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Example of a 3-day additional training
course for supervisors and editors
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Days Activities
Day 1 Household selection and map reading
 Explain the procedures and the importance of random selection of households.
 Provide practice and time for discussion.
 Introduce and practise the roles of supervisors and editors.
Day 2 Quality control
 Explain the need to monitor interviews and check interview quality on the spot.
 Discuss how to deal with interviewer errors.
 Explain what to do with the completed questionnaires and how to deal with unanticipated
problems.
 Emphasize that the supervisor should keep field notes and go through what should be
recorded in these notes.
 Discuss the survey schedule and the need for liaising with the survey coordinator.
Day 3 Anthropometric training
 Standardize anthropometric procedures.
 Proceed with the selection of supervisors and editors.

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6. Carrying out the pilot study
• The pilot study is the final rehearsal for the fieldwork.
• It is used to test that all procedures work smoothly and that all
protocols are understood and followed.
• The pilot study should be carried out at the end of the training
period, but at least a few days before beginning the actual
fieldwork. This will allow time for correcting any problems
detected during the pilot study.
• The pilot study should be seen as an extension of the training
programme. Close supervision of the interviewers during this
phase is essential.
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7. Setting up computers and hiring data
processing staff
• Use the questionnaires of the pilot study for testing the data-entry
and analysis programs.
• Check the programs for the production of tables.
• Sort out any problems and make any corrections that may be
necessary.
• Remember: Unless all arrangements for data entry and analysis
are made before starting the fieldwork, this process can lead to
major delays in producing survey results.
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8. Making arrangements for returning
the questionnaires
• Instruct supervisors and editors on the procedure for returning
completed questionnaires to the data processing headquarters.
• Remember that the questionnaires contain confidential data and
should be handled appropriately.
• The prompt return of the questionnaires to headquarters
contributes to quality control, allows for early data entry and
feedback to fieldworkers.
• Back-up copies of computer files should be made daily and kept in
a secure location where only survey staff have access to them.
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9. Planning early to obtain
supplementary information
• Field staff can be valuable informants because they become familiar with conditions
in communities.
• They may obtain insights about how programmes are operating, the reasons why a
programme is not working, or the problems experienced by fieldworkers during data
collection.
• If possible, make the most of this opportunity to obtain qualitative as well as
quantitative data from your field staff by conducting focus group discussions after
the survey finishes.
• Health and development programme staff may have a particular interest in what
these field staff observe.
• Enlist the help of such interested parties and prepare a discussion guide. Write a
short report of these discussions, and include any pertinent observations in your
survey report.
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10. Addressing ethical considerations
• Household surveys typically raise a number of ethical questions,
particularly surveys that pertain to the health of children and
other household members.
• Such questions relate to individual rights to privacy, the need for
informed consent, and responsibilities that arise upon uncovering
potential health problems in a survey.
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Ethical aspects of conducting a survey

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Integrity on data collection
• The primary rationale for preserving data integrity is to support
the detection of errors in the data collection process, whether they
are made intentionally (deliberate falsifications) or not
(systematic or random errors).
• The two approaches that can preserve data integrity and ensure
the scientific validity of study results which are implemented at
different points in the research timeline are:
 Quality assurance
 Quality control
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Quality assurance
• Quality assurance precedes data collection and
its main focus is 'prevention'.
• Prevention is the most cost-effective activity and proactive
measure which is best demonstrated by the standardization of
protocol developed in a comprehensive and detailed procedures
manual for data collection.
• An important component of quality assurance is developing a
rigorous and detailed recruitment and training plan, drift should
be corrected through additional training.
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Consequences from improperly
collected data
• Inability to answer research questions accurately
• Inability to repeat and validate the study
• Distorted findings resulting in wasted resources
• Misleading other researchers to pursue fruitless avenues of
investigation
• Compromising decisions for public policy
• Causing harm to human participants and animal subjects
While the degree of impact from faulty data collection may vary
by discipline and the nature of investigation, there is the potential to
cause disproportionate harm when these research results are used to
support public policy recommendations.
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Quality control
• Quality control activities takes place during and after data collection to
correct faulty data collection practices and also minimize future
occurrences.
• A clearly defined communication structure is a necessary pre-
condition for establishing monitoring systems.
• Detection or monitoring can take the form of direct staff observation
during site visits, conference calls, or regular and frequent reviews of
data reports to identify inconsistencies, extreme values or invalid codes.
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Quality control
• Examples of data collection problems that require prompt action
include:
 errors in individual data items
 systematic errors
 violation of protocol
 problems with individual staff or site performance
 fraud or scientific misconduct
• To verify data quality, respondents might be queried about the same
information but asked at different points of the survey and in a
number of different ways.
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Quality control
• Measures of ‘ Social Desirability’ could be used to get a measure
of the honesty of responses.
 cross-checks within the data collection process and
 Interview as well as obsevation
• Each field of study has its preferred set of data collection
instruments.
Regardless of the discipline, comprehensive documentation of
the collection process before, during and after the activity is
essential to preserve data integrity.
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References
1. ToolData. Qualitative and Quantitative data collection methods in M&E [Internet]. TolaData.
2021 [cited 2023 Feb 8]. Available from: https://www.toladata.com/blog/qualitative-and-
quantitative-data-collection-methods-in-monitoring-and-evaluation/
2. Tools - UNICEF MICS [Internet]. [cited 2023 Feb 11]. Available from:
https://mics.unicef.org/tools#data-collection
3. Data Collection [Internet]. [cited 2023 Feb 8]. Available from:
https://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/n_illinois_u/datamanagement/dctopic.html
4. Abrahamyan L. Survey Methods for Health Services Research: Theory & Application.
5. Kennedy EB, Jensen EA, Jensen AM. Methodological Considerations for Survey-Based
Research During Emergencies and Public Health Crises: Improving the Quality of Evidence
and Communication. Frontiers in Communication [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2023 Feb 10];6.
Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.736195
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Thank You!