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| To: | Individuals interested in SYMLOG Research |
| From: | Robert J. Koenigs, Ph.D., President, SYMLOG Consulting Group |
| Date: | July 24, 1998 |
Subject: Guidelines for those wanting to involve
SYMLOG Consulting Group in Research Projects
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
3. Approval of proposal and preparation of SYMLOG questionnaires
4. Data collection and administration
of survey instrumentation
5. Production of SYMNET displays and reports,
statistical analyses
6. Interpretation of Results
If a researcher wants to use SCG services for a research project, SCG
needs to participate in the initial formulation of the project. In
this way, SCG can ensure that the design is consistent with sound approaches
to scientific research and SCG's research capabilities. SCG is unable
to support post-hoc analyses of data that were collected without benefit
of an agreed-upon design.
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
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.
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. | ||
