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| To: | Individuals interested in SYMLOG Research |
| From: | Robert J. Koenigs, Ph.D., President, SYMLOG Consulting Group |
The SYMLOG Consulting Group (SCG) has an ongoing commitment to support SYMLOG-based research. We offer individuals and institutions reasonably priced professional support in the design of scientific studies of social interaction systems. We also provide statistical analysis and display of data collected with SYMLOG® instrumentation.
This memo lists SCG's specific guidelines for research. Guidelines concerning copyrights are contained in a letter from Professor Bales dated June 30, 1998, and included with this memo.
1. Early involvement
2. Research design and proposal
SCG is eager to help in the basic design of research studies. Following initial design consultation with SCG, the researcher needs to submit a written proposal. This proposal should detail the following aspects of the design, which will serve as a guide to the services SCG will provide:
| a. | General statement of purpose, including research questions |
| b. | General description of sample subjects (with IRB approval if applicable) |
| c. | Specific description of instrumentation, including the type of SYMLOG survey questionnaires to be used and the survey questions which will be printed on the questionnaires |
| d. | Methods for collecting demographic data, and a procedure for coding forms to capture needed subsets of data |
| e. | Specific plan and time frame for data collection |
| f. | Specific wording of hypotheses to be tested, and statistical tests required for testing the hypotheses (including cell characteristics and sizes, probability requirements) |
| g. | List of figures or tables, including SYMNET displays and reports |
3. Approval of proposal and preparation of SYMLOG questionnaires
SCG may request modifications to the proposal before approving it. Once the researcher and SCG agree that the proposal provides a working plan for the research services SCG will render, SCG will prepare the necessary SYMLOG questionnaires.
The researcher will be responsible for data collection and preparation of the questionnaires for analysis by SCG. Preparation includes making sure that Scantron questionnaires are indeed machine readable (e.g., no stray marks, complete erasures, complete "bubbling") and bundling of questionnaires into subsets that represent distinct cells for research (to the extent that this is possible).
SCG will produce the displays and analyses as listed in the research proposal.
6. Interpretation of Results
The analysis of data and interpretation of results is a sophisticated undertaking. SCG is willing to help in determining the potential findings from well-executed studies. It is anticipated that the author(s) of the study will be the content-expert for the particular study and will take primary responsibility for interpreting the results.
| Fees for SCG Research Services * | ||
|---|---|---|
| Design consultation, interpretation of results | ||
|
Initial design consultation is provided without charge.
More extensive design work and interpretation of results will be billed. SCG reserves the right to determine what constitutes "more extensive" on a case-by-case basis. |
||
| $ 200.00 | per hour | |
| Survey questionnaires | ||
| Scantron forms | ||
| $0.50 | per form | |
| Data entry, analysis, and printing of SYMNET displays | ||
| $100.00 | per hour (1 hour minimum) | |
| Statistical analysis of data | ||
| $200.00 | per hour (1 hour minimum) | |
| Customized graphic displays of tables and figures | ||
| $100.00 | per hour (1 hour minimum) | |
| * SCG offers academic discounts when merited. SCG retains the right to invoice at each phase of a research project and await settlement of the invoice before proceeding with subsequent phases. | ||