Affiliations: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Susan K. Myers, RTI International, P.O. Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. Tel.: +1 919 541 7441; Fax: +1 919 990 8368; E-mail:smyers@rti.org
Abstract: Falsification in survey data exists at many stages of data collection and
presents serious consequences to the stakeholders. Quality assurance teams,
charged with confirming the authenticity of interviewer-collected survey
data, encounter ever-changing challenges in performing this task. This
environment calls for multiple methods that aid the monitoring of data
collectors and review of data after receipt. This paper describes techniques
used at RTI and examples of falsification detectable by those means. When
feasible, use of computer audio-recorded interviewing (CARI) allows detailed
oversight of in-person surveys that otherwise lack direct observation, and
it can augment live monitoring. Collection of global positioning system
(GPS) coordinates can confirm the location of interviews conducted by field
staff using mobile devices. In addition, we follow standard practices for
quality management; we conduct systematic review of paradata and response
data for item non-response, timing outliers, duplicate records and high
levels of CARI refusals, and our survey supervisors hold quality-review
discussions on a regular basis. The combination of these techniques provides
an adaptable, multi-sourced, evidence-based process for quality assurance
and control.
