what is a schedule in research

MBA Knowledge Base

Business • Management • Technology

Home » Research Methodology » Schedule as a Data Collection Technique in Research

Schedule as a Data Collection Technique in Research

Schedule is the tool or instrument used to collect data from the respondents while interview is conducted. Schedule contains questions, statements (on which opinions are elicited) and blank spaces/tables for filling up the respondents. The features of schedules are :

• The schedule is presented by the interviewer. The questions are asked and the answers are noted down by him.
• The list of questions is a more formal document, it need not be attractive.
• The schedule can be used in a very narrow sphere of social research.

The main purposes of schedule are three fold :

• To provide a standardized tool for observation or interview in order to attain objectivity,
• To act as memory tickler i.e., the schedule keeps the memory of the interviewer/ observer refreshed and keeps him reminded of the different aspects that are to be particularly observed, and
• To facilitate the work of tabulation and analysis.

Types of Schedule

There are several kinds of schedule. Rating Schedules is a schedule used to obtain opinions, preferences etc, respondents over statements on the phenomenon studied. The schedule consists of positive and negative statements of opinion on the phenomenon. Documents Schedules are used to collect data/information from recorded evidences and/or case histories. Here the blanks, functional issues related blanks and the like to be filled up from records and documents are present. Survey Schedules are like questionnaires. Observation Schedules are schedules used when observational method of data collection is used. These could be structured or unstructured interview schedules are used for collecting data when interview method of communication with the respondents is used.

Essentials of a Good Schedule

A good schedule must have the following features

• Content: Should cover questions or statements relating to all significant aspects of the study.
• Dissectional: Should look into the problem analytically, dissecting every, major and significant components of the problem.
• Context: Should suit the context in which it is applied. Different types of studies need different schedules.
• Criterion: Should use sound logic in classifying respondents based opinions expressed.
• Construction: Should be constructed in such a way that questions statements progress gradually and in order. Better it is sub-divided into parts, each part deeding with a certain sub topic of the issue studied. For each objective, a separate part may be devoted.
• Language: Should be linguistically superbly designed. Clear and straight forward language be used.
• Reliable: Should be reliable such that same results are obtained whenever the schedule is used when everything else remains same.
• Mechanical Aspects: Paper used, margin space given, spacing, printing, size of letters, etc. should be normal.
• Size: Should not too length nor too short. Should give fair coverage to the topic.
• Qualities to be Avoided: Long, complex, presumptuous, personal, embarrassing, hypothetical issues, morality oriented, upsetting type and necessary questions must be avoided.

To sum up, accurate information and accurate response are the two essential conditions of a good schedule. Accurate communication is effected by proper wording of questions so as to produce desired sense without any ambiguity. Accurate response is said to have been achieved when replies contain the information sought for. The response is achieved by stimulating the respondents to fill the schedule. Besides, the physical structure of the schedule should be attractive; the questions asked or information sought should be adequate and relevant to the enquiry, so that final generalization may be based upon it. The information sought should not only be valid, it should also be capable of being tabulated and if possible being subjected to statistical analysis.

Procedure for Formulating a Schedule

• Study the different aspects of the problem. The problem under study should first of all be split up into various aspects. The determination of these aspects will depend upon clear understanding of the problem under study.
• Sub-divide the problem to get necessary information. Each aspect has again to be broken up into a number of sub-parts. These sub-parts should be quite exhaustive to give a full and complete picture of-the aspect under study.
• Class questions. Care should be taken to see that the questions convey the exact sense. Respondents will be willing to supply information without any hesitation, bias or distortion of facts, if questions are exact and clear.
• Serialization of Questions. In order to obtain well-organised information, it is necessary that the questions should be presented to the respondents in a well-ordered serial. It has been experienced to various field studies that the change in the order of questions affects the answers adversely.
• Testing the validity of schedule. Whatever may be the degree of precaution taken, some slips are based to be left out and these can be located when the schedule is put into a reliability and validity test.
• Division. The schedule be divided into adequate number of divisions. Introductory part, instructional part, issues related parts, etc. are certain parts by which the schedule is divided into parts.
• Appropriate form of questions. Use appropriate forms of questions at appropriate places. Open ended, close ended, pictorial, Yes or No (Questions), multiple choice questions, etc. can be used.

Related posts:

• Interview Method of Data Collection in Research
• Observation Method of Research Data Collection
• Using Different Types of Surveys for Data Collection in Research
• Pre-Testing Research Data Collection Instruments
• Classification and Tabulation of Data in Research
• Interpretation of Research Data
• Data Analysis in Research Methodology
• Secondary Data Sources for Research
• Methods of Data Processing in Research
• Syndicated Data and Standardized Services in Marketing Research

One thought on “ Schedule as a Data Collection Technique in Research ”

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Increase Font Size

12 Questionnaire and Schedule Method

Pa . Raajeswari

INTRODUCTION

A questionnaire and schedule is considered the heart of a survey work. Hence, it should be carefully constructed. Questionnaires are a method used to collect standardized data from large numbers of people. They are used to collect data in a statistical form. If it is not properly constructed, the survey will become difficult.

A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions on other prompts for gathering information from respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case.

MEANING OF QUESTIONNAIRE

A questionnaire is a form prepared and distributed to secure responses to certain questions. It is a device for securing answers to questions by using a form which the respondent fills by himself. It is a systematic complication of questions and organised series of questions that are to be sent to the population samples. It is an important instrument in normative-survey research, being used to gather information from widely scattered sources. The questionnaire procedure normally comes into use where one cannot readily see personally all of the people from whom the research desires responses or where there is no particular reason to see them personally.

Purpose of questionnaire is twofold: i) to collect information from the respondents who are scattered in a vast area, ii) to achieve success in collecting reliable and dependable data.

FORMS OF QUESTIONNAIRE

Structured vs. non-structured . The structured contains definite, concrete and direct questions, whereas non-structured may consist of partially completed questions or statements.

A   non-structured questionnaire is often used as the interview guide, which is non-directive. The interviewer possesses only a blueprint of the enquiries and he is largely free to arrange the form or statements of the questions. The enquiries framed in a general form beforehand are given a specific form during the actual process of interview.

Closed form vs. open form : the question that call for short check responses are known as restricted or closed form type. They provide for making a yes or no, a short response, or checking an item out of a list of given responses. It restricts the choice of response for the respondent. He has simply to select a response out of supplied responses and has not to frame his response in his own way.

It is easy to fill out, takes less time, keeps the respondent on the subject, is relatively more objective, more acceptable and convenient to the respondent, and is fairly easy to tabulate and analyse.

The open-form, open-end or unrestricted type questionnaire calls for a free response in the respondent’s own words. The respondent frames and supplies his own response. No clues are provided. It probably provides for greater depth of response. The subject reveals his mind, gives his frame of reference and possibility the reasons for his responses

The mixed questionnaire: the mixed questionnaire consists of both close and open type questionnaires. For social research, this method is very useful. Many questionnaires include both open and closed type items. Each type has its specific merits and limitations and the research worker has to decide which type is more likely to supply the information he wants.

Fact and opinion questionnaire: questionnaire are also classified as: i) questionnaire of fact, which requires certain information of facts from the respondent without any reference to his opinion or attitude about them and ii) questionnaire of opinion and attitude in which the informant’s opinion, attitude or preference regarding some phenomena is sought.

Pictorial questionnaire: in the pictorial questionnaire, pictures are used to promote interest in answering questions. It is used extensively in studies of social attitudes and prejudices in children or illiterate persons. In a pictorial questionnaire, the selected alternative answers in the form of pictures are given and the respondent is required to tick the picture concerned. This questionnaire may be very useful for collecting data in a developing country like India, specially from the rural masses who are mostly illiterate and less knowledgeable. The serious limitation of this questionnaire is that it is lengthy in form. Also it is highly expensive.

In the questionnaire technique, great reliance is placed on the respondent’s verbal report for data on the stimuli or experiences to which he is exposed and for knowledge of his  behaviour. The questionnaire is effective only when the respondent is able or willing to express his reactions clearly. A good questionnaire can elicit cooperation of the respondent to get frank answers on almost any subject, even such personal matters as sex and income. Thus, it is clear that the respondent can judge the study only by what he can see. The questionnaire, by its very nature, is an impersonal technique and it is several pieces of paper appeals/persuades the respondent that he ought to participate.

RULES FOR CONSTRUCTING A QUESTIONNAIRE:

• Clearly worded items(eg: avoid usually ,most)
• Short questions
• Only one idea(concept)per question
• Avoid negatively worded items
• Avoid technical language and jargon
• Avoid leading questions(cues to answers)
• Avoid lengthy questions

FORMULATION OF QUESTIONS AND FORMAT

If the types of measurements to be made are clearly known, then the researcher can formulate necessary questions relating to each measurement. While formulating a question, its content should be such that each respondent graphs the intention of the question very quickly as originally thought by the researcher. This will minimize the distortion of the research focus. In addition, the format of each question in relation to that of the overall questionnaire should be decided.

The following factors are to be considered before drafting the questionnaire.

• Covering letter: The person conducting the survey should introduce himself to the respondents through a covering letter. In this covering letter,one can state the objectives of his study along with a formal request to fill up the questionnaire.
• Number of questions: As far as possible, the number of questions should be limited. There should be no repetation of questions. The response from the respondents will be  poor if the numbers of questions are too many. Hence, care must be taken to minimise the number of questions.
• Sequence of questions: The questions should be arranged in a logical order. The sequential arrangement of questions makes it easy for the respondents to make a spontaneous reply.  Eg: It is irrelevant to ask the number of children before asking whether the respondent is married or not.
• Ambiguity of questions: The questions should be unambiguous, that is, questions should give only one meaning. There should be only one answer to a question. The question should focus on only one point.
• Questions should be short and simple: The questions should not be lengthy. They must be short and easily understandable by the respondent. As far as possible technical terms should be avoided.
• Personal questions: As far as possible, questions of personal and pecuniary nature should not be asked.  Eg: Questions about income, sales tax paid and the like may not be answered by respondents in writing. If this information is essential, if must be obtained by personal interviews. Therefore, these questions are to be avoided unless otherwise the study actually requires it.
• Instructions to the informants: The questionnaire should provide necessary instructions to the informants. For example, it should specify the time within which it should be sent back and the address to which it should be sent. Instructions necessary to fill up the questions can also be given in the questionnaire.
• Type of answer: As far as possible the answers for the questions should be objective type, that is ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ type questions are most welcome. However, when the alternative is not clear cut, the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions should be avoided.
• Questions requiring calculations: Questions requiring calculation of ratios, percentages, and totals should not be asked as it may take much time and the respondents may feel reluctant.
• Attraction: A questionnaire should be made to look as attractive as possible. The printing and paper used should be neat and qualitative. Enough space should be left for answering the questions.

QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN PROCESS:

STEP I: Determine survey objectives, resources and constraints

STEP II: Determine the data collection method

STEP III: Determine the question response format

STEP IV: Decide on the question wording

STEP V: Establish questionnaire flow and layout

STEP VI:Evaluate the questionnaire

STEP VII: obtain approval of all relevant parties

STEP VIII: Pre-test And Revise

STEP IX: Prepare and final copy

STEP X: Implement the survey

TYPES OF QUESTIONNAIRE

METHOD OF ADMINISTRATION

• Self administered questionnaire: respondents fills in the questionnaire him/her self.
• Schedule: the investigator/researched reads out the questions and records the respondents answers

ADVANTAGES OF QUESTIONNAIRE

• The responses are gathered in a standardised way, so questionnaires are more objective, certainly more so than interviews.
• Generally, it is relatively quick to collect information using a questionnaire. However, in some situations they can take a long time not only to design but also to apply and analyse.
• Potentially information can be collected from a large portion of a group. This potential is not often realised, as returns from questionnaires are usually low. However, return rates can be dramatically improved if the questionnaire is delivered and responded to in class time.

DISADVANTAGES OF QUESTIONNAIRE

• Questionnaires, like many evaluation methods occur after the event, so participants may forget important issues.
• Questionnaires are standardised so it is not possible to explain any points in the questions that participants might misinterpret. This could be partially solved by piloting the questions on a small group of students or at least friends and colleagues. It is advisable to do this anyway.
• Open-ended questions can generate large amounts of data that can take a long time to process and analyse. One way of limiting this would be to limit the space available to students so their responses are concise or to sample the students and survey only a portion of them.
• Respondents may answer superficially especially if the questionnaire takes a long time to complete. The common mistake of asking too many questions should be avoided.
• Students may not be willing to answer the questions. They might not wish to reveal the information or they might think that they will not benefit from responding perhaps even be penalised by giving their real opinion. Students should be told why the information is being collected and how the results will be beneficial. They should be asked to reply honestly and told that if their response is negative this is just as useful as a more positive opinion. If possible the questionnaire should be anonymous.

INTRODUCTION OF SCHEDULE

”The schedule is nothing more than a list of questions which it seems necessary to test the hypothesis”. A schedule is a structure of set of questions on a given topic which are asked by an interviewer is investigated personally. Schedule is the most important tool. It is similar to a questionnaire. It is administered by the researcher in person and it is filled up by the researcher. As the schedule is presented in person it need not be attractive. The techniques of preparing questionnaire are also applied to framing an interview schedule.

DEFINITION OF SCHEDULE

Schedule is also a set of questions which is filled in by investigator who is made responsible to collect information. The investigator approach to the respondent and record the responses of the respondent. In some cases respondent is encouraged to record the answers to the questions with the help of investigator.

The success of this method is based on selection and training of investigator, to collect information. Investigator must have competency for cross examination if necessary, investor’s personal qualities like honest hard work will improve the quality of the work. This system is very useful for extensive enquiries. It is very expensive still normally adapted by state and large organization. Census survey is conducted by this method.

MEANING OF SCHEDULE

Schedule and questionnaire are the most important tools generally used in social research. The two forms are similar in nature but the difference lies in its construction and usage. The schedule is the form containing some questions or blank tables which are to be filled by the research workers after getting information from the informants. The schedule  may thus contain two types of questions i) direct questions and ii) form of a table. There are some kinds of information that can be procured only by putting a question, e.g., questions for eliciting the informants opinion, attitude, preferences or his suggestions about some matter. There are others which may better be put in the form of tables.

From the above discussion the following salient points about schedule emerge:

• The schedule is presented by the interviewer. The questions are asked and the answers are noted down by him.
• The list of questions is a more formal document, it need not be attractive.
• The schedule can be used in a very narrow sphere of social research.

PURPOSE OF SCHEDULE

The main purposes of schedule are three fold: i) to provide a standardized tool for observation or interview in order to attain objectivity. Ii) to act as memory ticker i.e., the schedule keeps the memory of the interviewer/observer refreshed and keeps him reminded of the different aspects that are to be particularly observed, iii) to facilitate the work of tabulation and analysis.

TYPES OF SCHEDULES

1.  Rating schedule

In the field of business guidance, psychological research, and social research, the rating schedules are used to assess the attitudes, opinions, preferences, inhibitions and other like elements. As evident from the term ‘rating’, in these schedules, the value and trend of the above mentioned qualities is measured.

2.   Documents schedule

The schedules of this type are used to obtain data regarding written evidence and case histories. In these schedules, those terms are included which occur frequency in documents and are to be generally found in case histories.

3.    Institutional surveys forms or evolutional schedules

The use of these schedules, as is evident from the name, is made to gather data about specialised institutions or agencies. The form and the size of evolutional  schedules is determined by the nature and the complexity of the problems of an institution, more complex the problem, bigger the size of the schedule.

4.    Observation schedules

In these schedules, observer records the activities and responses of an individual or a group under specific conditions. The observation schedules may need one or more research worker to be completed. The main purpose of an observation schedules is to verify some information.

5.   Interview schedules

A fifth form of schedule is sometimes treated independently and at other times considered included in the previous type. In an interview schedule, an interviewer presents the questions of the schedule to the interviewers and records their response on blank spaces.

STEPS IN FRAMING A SCHEDULE

1.    Study the different aspects of the problem

The problem under study should first of all be split up into various aspects. The determination of these aspects will depend upon clear understanding of the problem under study.

2.   Sub-divide the problem to get necessary information

Each aspect has again to be broken up into a number of sub-parts. These sub-parts should be quite exhaustive to give a full and complete picture of the aspect under study.

3.   The framing of actual questions.

Care should be taken to see that the questions convey the exact sense, are easily followed by the response and they will be willing to supply information without any hesitation, bias or distortion of facts.

4.    Serialisation of questions

In order to obtain well-organised information, it is necessary that the questions should be presented to the respondents in a well-ordered serial. It has been experienced in various field studies that the change in the order of questions affects the answers adversely.

5.    Testing the validity of schedule

Whatever may be the degree of precaution taken; some slips are bound to be left out and cannot be located unless the schedule has been put into operation.

HOW DO SCHEDULES WORK?

• A rather expensive method as enumerators do not come cheap or resesrch scholar expenses often run high.
• Schedules are filled by the enumerator/researcher who can also interpret the question if necessary.
• Needless to say, the identity of the respondents  is known
• Information collection is both assured and punctual
• Questionnaires and schedules are flexible in what they can measure although they each have

SCHEDULING TOOL:

•  A Tool which supports the scheduling method
•  Identifying components names
• Providing components definitions
• Contains components relationships.
• Is used to generate the project specific schedule model.
• For eg: primavera, MS project, artemis, welcome, spider

ADVANTAGES OF SCHEDULE

1.Economical: since the questionnaire approach makes it possible to cover, at the same time, a large number of people spread over a large territory, it is decidedly more economical in terms of money, time and energy. Other methods do not afford such a facility.

2.Time saving: besides saving money, the mailed schedule also saves time. Simultaneously, hundreds of persons are approached through it whereas if they are to be interviewed it may take a very long time.

3.Suitable in special type of response: the information about certain problems can be best obtained through questionnaire method. For example, the research about sexual habits, marital relations, dreams etc, can be easily obtained by keeping the name of respondents anonymous.

4.Ensures anonymity: as the respondents are not required to indicate their names on the questionnaires, they feel free to express their views and opinions. Anonymity is a meaningful characteristic of questionnaire method. In view of its anonymity the questionnaire is more effective than an interview.

5.Less pressure on the respondents: the method places less pressure on the subject for immediate response and gives more time to the respondents for properly answering questions.

6.Uniformity: the questionnaire, by its very nature, is an impersonal technique. Uniformity from one measurement situation to another is provided by virtue of its standardised wordings of questions, standardised sequence of questions and fixed or standardised instructions for recording responses.

DISADVANTAGES OF SCHEDULE

Illiterate and less educated: one of the major limitations of the questionnaire is that it can be administered only on subjects with a considerable amount of education. Complex questionnaire requiring elaborate written replies can be used indeed on a very small percentage of population.

Proportion of returns is usually low: in a mailed questionnaire, the proportion of returns is usually low, it may sometimes be as low as 10%.

Mis-interprets/ unintelligible reply: in a questionnaire, if the respondent misinterprets a question or writes his reply unintelligibly, there is very little that can be done to correct this. In this approach there is no facility for repeating questions, explaining them or seeking clarification of a particular response.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCHEDULE AND QUESTIONNAIRE

Questionnaire and Scheduleare the most important tool in the process of data collection. It is administered by the researcher in person and it is filled up by the researcher. As the schedule is presented in person it need not be attractive. The techniques of preparing questionnaire are also applied to framing an interview schedule. Hence, usually the researchers are advised to refer to the questionnaire for more details and concentrate in preparing questionnaire and schedule.

• http://www.studylecturenotes.com/social-research-methodology/what-is-interview-schedule-definition-types
• http://www.kkhsou.in/main/masscom/research_tool.html
• https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Schedule-and-Questionnaire-in-Research-Methodology
• http://libweb.surrey.ac.uk/library/skills/Introduction%20to%20Research%20and%20Ma naging%20Information%20Leicester/page_51.htm
• http://14.139.60.114:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/719/27/Methods%20of%20Data %20Collection.pdf

• Key Differences

Know the Differences & Comparisons

Difference Between Questionnaire and Schedule

The research process is incomplete without collection of data, which starts after identification of research problem and chalking out research design. The researcher should keep in mind that there are two types of data, i.e. primary and secondary data . There are several methods involved in the collection of primary data, like observation, interview, questionnaires, schedules, etc.

Content: Questionnaire Vs Schedule

Comparison chart.

Definition of Questionnaire

We define questionnaire as an instrument for research, which consists of a list of questions, along with the choice of answers, printed or typed in a sequence on a form used for acquiring specific information from the respondents. In general, questionnaires are delivered to the persons concerned either by post or mail, requesting them to answer the questions and return it. Informants are expected to read and understand the questions and reply in the space provided in the questionnaire itself.

The questionnaire is prepared in such a way that it translate the required information into a series of questions, that informants can and will answer. Further, it should be such that the respondent gets motivated and encouraged, to make him engaged in the interview and complete it. The merits of questionnaires are discussed below:

• It is an inexpensive method, regardless of the size of the universe.
• Free from the bias of the interviewer, as the respondents answer the questions in his own words.
• Respondents have enough time to think and answer.
• Due its large coverage, respondents living in distant areas can also be reached conveniently.

Definition of Schedule

The schedule is a proforma which contains a list of questions filled by the research workers or enumerators, specially appointed for the purpose of data collection. Enumerators go to the informants with the schedule, and ask them the questions from the set, in the sequence and record the replies in the space provided. There are certain situations, where the schedule is distributed to the respondents, and the enumerators assist them in answering the questions.

Enumerators play a major role in the collection of data, through schedules. They explain the aims and objects of the research to the respondents and interpret the questions to them when required. This method is little expensive as the selection, appointment and training of the enumerators require a huge amount. It is used in case of extensive enquiries conducted by the government agencies, big organisations. Most common example of data collection through schedule is population census.

Key Differences Between Questionnaire and Schedule

The important points of difference between questionnaire and schedule are as under:

• Questionnaire refers to a technique of data collection which consist of a series of written questions along with alternative answers. The schedule is a formalised set of questions, statements, and spaces for answers, provided to the enumerators who ask questions to the respondents and note down the answers.
• Questionnaires are delivered to the informants by post or mail and answered as specified in the cover letter. On the other hand, schedules are filled by the research workers, who interpret the questions to the respondents if necessary.
• The response rate is low in case of questionnaires as many people do not respond and often return it without answering all the questions. On the contrary, the response rate is high, as they are filled by the enumerators, who can get answers to all the question.
• The questionnaires can be distributed a large number of people at the same time, and even the respondents who are not approachable can also be reached easily. Conversely, in schedule method, the reach is relatively small, as the enumerators cannot be sent to a large area.
• Data collection by questionnaire method is comparatively cheaper and economical as the money is invested only in the preparation and posting of the questionnaire. As against this, a large amount is spent on the appointment and training of the enumerators and also on the preparation of schedules.
• In questionnaire method, it is not known that who answers the question whereas, in the case of schedule, the respondent’s identity is known.
• The success of the questionnaire lies on the quality of the questionnaire while the honesty and competency of the enumerator determine the success of a schedule.
• The questionnaire is usually employed only when the respondents literate and cooperative. Unlike schedule which can be used for data collection from all classes of people.

As everything has two aspects, so as with the case of questionnaire and schedule. The risk of collection of inaccurate and incomplete information is high in the questionnaire, as it might happen that people may not be able to understand the question correctly. On the contrary, schedule faces the risk of biases and cheating of the interviewer.

You Might Also Like:

August 23, 2017 at 8:33 am

Excellently explained. Thank you so much. I always had doubts and confusions regarding these two. God bless you. Gracias.

Surbhi S says

August 23, 2017 at 9:49 am

Thanks for sharing your views with us and blessings as well.

sharnga says

December 2, 2017 at 11:47 am

best explained thanx a lot regards.. sharga

Monu singh rajawat says

January 19, 2018 at 7:03 pm

it is easy article for understanding and very nice for differentiate questionnaire and schedule.

Tabinda says

April 25, 2018 at 8:19 am

Thanks a lot for the information,as it helped me a lot…

October 5, 2018 at 12:27 am

Thanks really appreciate

Shikha says

January 3, 2022 at 9:03 pm

Thanks a lot for the information, as it helped me a lot…. Thank you so much

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How to write a research plan: Step-by-step guide

Last updated

30 January 2024

Reviewed by

Short on time? Get an AI generated summary of this article instead

Today’s businesses and institutions rely on data and analytics to inform their product and service decisions. These metrics influence how organizations stay competitive and inspire innovation. However, gathering data and insights requires carefully constructed research, and every research project needs a roadmap. This is where a research plan comes into play.

Read this step-by-step guide for writing a detailed research plan that can apply to any project, whether it’s scientific, educational, or business-related.

• What is a research plan?

A research plan is a documented overview of a project in its entirety, from end to end. It details the research efforts, participants, and methods needed, along with any anticipated results. It also outlines the project’s goals and mission, creating layers of steps to achieve those goals within a specified timeline.

Without a research plan, you and your team are flying blind, potentially wasting time and resources to pursue research without structured guidance.

The principal investigator, or PI, is responsible for facilitating the research oversight. They will create the research plan and inform team members and stakeholders of every detail relating to the project. The PI will also use the research plan to inform decision-making throughout the project.

• Why do you need a research plan?

Create a research plan before starting any official research to maximize every effort in pursuing and collecting the research data. Crucially, the plan will model the activities needed at each phase of the research project .

Like any roadmap, a research plan serves as a valuable tool providing direction for those involved in the project—both internally and externally. It will keep you and your immediate team organized and task-focused while also providing necessary definitions and timelines so you can execute your project initiatives with full understanding and transparency.

External stakeholders appreciate a working research plan because it’s a great communication tool, documenting progress and changing dynamics as they arise. Any participants of your planned research sessions will be informed about the purpose of your study, while the exercises will be based on the key messaging outlined in the official plan.

Here are some of the benefits of creating a research plan document for every project:

Project organization and structure

Well-informed participants

All stakeholders and teams align in support of the project

Clearly defined project definitions and purposes

Distractions are eliminated, prioritizing task focus

Timely management of individual task schedules and roles

Costly reworks are avoided

• What should a research plan include?

The different aspects of your research plan will depend on the nature of the project. However, most official research plan documents will include the core elements below. Each aims to define the problem statement , devising an official plan for seeking a solution.

Specific project goals and individual objectives

Ideal strategies or methods for reaching those goals

Required resources

Descriptions of the target audience, sample sizes , demographics, and scopes

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Project background

Research and testing support

Preliminary studies and progress reporting mechanisms

Cost estimates and change order processes

Depending on the research project’s size and scope, your research plan could be brief—perhaps only a few pages of documented plans. Alternatively, it could be a fully comprehensive report. Either way, it’s an essential first step in dictating your project’s facilitation in the most efficient and effective way.

• How to write a research plan for your project

When you start writing your research plan, aim to be detailed about each step, requirement, and idea. The more time you spend curating your research plan, the more precise your research execution efforts will be.

Account for every potential scenario, and be sure to address each and every aspect of the research.

Consider following this flow to develop a great research plan for your project:

Define your project’s purpose

Start by defining your project’s purpose. Identify what your project aims to accomplish and what you are researching. Remember to use clear language.

Thinking about the project’s purpose will help you set realistic goals and inform how you divide tasks and assign responsibilities. These individual tasks will be your stepping stones to reach your overarching goal.

Additionally, you’ll want to identify the specific problem, the usability metrics needed, and the intended solutions.

Know the following three things about your project’s purpose before you outline anything else:

What you’re doing

Why you’re doing it

What you expect from it

Identify individual objectives

With your overarching project objectives in place, you can identify any individual goals or steps needed to reach those objectives. Break them down into phases or steps. You can work backward from the project goal and identify every process required to facilitate it.

Be mindful to identify each unique task so that you can assign responsibilities to various team members. At this point in your research plan development, you’ll also want to assign priority to those smaller, more manageable steps and phases that require more immediate or dedicated attention.

Select research methods

Once you have outlined your goals, objectives, steps, and tasks, it’s time to drill down on selecting research methods . You’ll want to leverage specific research strategies and processes. When you know what methods will help you reach your goals, you and your teams will have direction to perform and execute your assigned tasks.

Research methods might include any of the following:

User interviews : this is a qualitative research method where researchers engage with participants in one-on-one or group conversations. The aim is to gather insights into their experiences, preferences, and opinions to uncover patterns, trends, and data.

Field studies : this approach allows for a contextual understanding of behaviors, interactions, and processes in real-world settings. It involves the researcher immersing themselves in the field, conducting observations, interviews, or experiments to gather in-depth insights.

Card sorting : participants categorize information by sorting content cards into groups based on their perceived similarities. You might use this process to gain insights into participants’ mental models and preferences when navigating or organizing information on websites, apps, or other systems.

Focus groups : use organized discussions among select groups of participants to provide relevant views and experiences about a particular topic.

Diary studies : ask participants to record their experiences, thoughts, and activities in a diary over a specified period. This method provides a deeper understanding of user experiences, uncovers patterns, and identifies areas for improvement.

Five-second testing: participants are shown a design, such as a web page or interface, for just five seconds. They then answer questions about their initial impressions and recall, allowing you to evaluate the design’s effectiveness.

Surveys : get feedback from participant groups with structured surveys. You can use online forms, telephone interviews, or paper questionnaires to reveal trends, patterns, and correlations.

Tree testing : tree testing involves researching web assets through the lens of findability and navigability. Participants are given a textual representation of the site’s hierarchy (the “tree”) and asked to locate specific information or complete tasks by selecting paths.

Usability testing : ask participants to interact with a product, website, or application to evaluate its ease of use. This method enables you to uncover areas for improvement in digital key feature functionality by observing participants using the product.

Live website testing: research and collect analytics that outlines the design, usability, and performance efficiencies of a website in real time.

There are no limits to the number of research methods you could use within your project. Just make sure your research methods help you determine the following:

What do you plan to do with the research findings?

What decisions will this research inform? How can your stakeholders leverage the research data and results?

Recruit participants and allocate tasks

Next, identify the participants needed to complete the research and the resources required to complete the tasks. Different people will be proficient at different tasks, and having a task allocation plan will allow everything to run smoothly.

Prepare a thorough project summary

Every well-designed research plan will feature a project summary. This official summary will guide your research alongside its communications or messaging. You’ll use the summary while recruiting participants and during stakeholder meetings. It can also be useful when conducting field studies.

Ensure this summary includes all the elements of your research project . Separate the steps into an easily explainable piece of text that includes the following:

An introduction: the message you’ll deliver to participants about the interview, pre-planned questioning, and testing tasks.

Interview questions: prepare questions you intend to ask participants as part of your research study, guiding the sessions from start to finish.

An exit message: draft messaging your teams will use to conclude testing or survey sessions. These should include the next steps and express gratitude for the participant’s time.

Create a realistic timeline

While your project might already have a deadline or a results timeline in place, you’ll need to consider the time needed to execute it effectively.

Realistically outline the time needed to properly execute each supporting phase of research and implementation. And, as you evaluate the necessary schedules, be sure to include additional time for achieving each milestone in case any changes or unexpected delays arise.

For this part of your research plan, you might find it helpful to create visuals to ensure your research team and stakeholders fully understand the information.

Determine how to present your results

A research plan must also describe how you intend to present your results. Depending on the nature of your project and its goals, you might dedicate one team member (the PI) or assume responsibility for communicating the findings yourself.

In this part of the research plan, you’ll articulate how you’ll share the results. Detail any materials you’ll use, such as:

Presentations and slides

A project report booklet

A project findings pamphlet

Documents with key takeaways and statistics

Graphic visuals to support your findings

• Format your research plan

As you create your research plan, you can enjoy a little creative freedom. A plan can assume many forms, so format it how you see fit. Determine the best layout based on your specific project, intended communications, and the preferences of your teams and stakeholders.

Find format inspiration among the following layouts:

Written outlines

Narrative storytelling

Visual mapping

Graphic timelines

Remember, the research plan format you choose will be subject to change and adaptation as your research and findings unfold. However, your final format should ideally outline questions, problems, opportunities, and expectations.

• Research plan example

Imagine you’ve been tasked with finding out how to get more customers to order takeout from an online food delivery platform. The goal is to improve satisfaction and retain existing customers. You set out to discover why more people aren’t ordering and what it is they do want to order or experience. 

You identify the need for a research project that helps you understand what drives customer loyalty . But before you jump in and start calling past customers, you need to develop a research plan—the roadmap that provides focus, clarity, and realistic details to the project.

Here’s an example outline of a research plan you might put together:

Project title

Project members involved in the research plan

Purpose of the project (provide a summary of the research plan’s intent)

Objective 1 (provide a short description for each objective)

Objective 2

Objective 3

Proposed timeline

Audience (detail the group you want to research, such as customers or non-customers)

Budget (how much you think it might cost to do the research)

Risk factors/contingencies (any potential risk factors that may impact the project’s success)

Remember, your research plan doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel—it just needs to fit your project’s unique needs and aims.

Customizing a research plan template

Some companies offer research plan templates to help get you started. However, it may make more sense to develop your own customized plan template. Be sure to include the core elements of a great research plan with your template layout, including the following:

Introductions to participants and stakeholders

Background problems and needs statement

Significance, ethics, and purpose

Research methods, questions, and designs

Preliminary beliefs and expectations

Implications and intended outcomes

Realistic timelines for each phase

Conclusion and presentations

How many pages should a research plan be?

Generally, a research plan can vary in length between 500 to 1,500 words. This is roughly three pages of content. More substantial projects will be 2,000 to 3,500 words, taking up four to seven pages of planning documents.

What is the difference between a research plan and a research proposal?

A research plan is a roadmap to success for research teams. A research proposal, on the other hand, is a dissertation aimed at convincing or earning the support of others. Both are relevant in creating a guide to follow to complete a project goal.

What are the seven steps to developing a research plan?

While each research project is different, it’s best to follow these seven general steps to create your research plan:

Defining the problem

Identifying goals

Choosing research methods

Recruiting participants

Preparing the brief or summary

Establishing task timelines

Defining how you will present the findings

Should you be using a customer insights hub?

Do you want to discover previous research faster?

Do you share your research findings with others?

Do you analyze research data?

Start for free today, add your research, and get to key insights faster

Editor’s picks

Last updated: 18 April 2023

Last updated: 27 February 2023

Last updated: 22 August 2024

Last updated: 5 February 2023

Last updated: 16 August 2024

Last updated: 9 March 2023

Last updated: 30 April 2024

Last updated: 12 December 2023

Last updated: 11 March 2024

Last updated: 4 July 2024

Last updated: 6 March 2024

Last updated: 5 March 2024

Last updated: 13 May 2024

Latest articles

Related topics, .css-je19u9{-webkit-align-items:flex-end;-webkit-box-align:flex-end;-ms-flex-align:flex-end;align-items:flex-end;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:wrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;row-gap:0;text-align:center;max-width:671px;}@media (max-width: 1079px){.css-je19u9{max-width:400px;}.css-je19u9>span{white-space:pre;}}@media (max-width: 799px){.css-je19u9{max-width:400px;}.css-je19u9>span{white-space:pre;}} decide what to .css-1kiodld{max-height:56px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;}@media (max-width: 1079px){.css-1kiodld{display:none;}} build next, decide what to build next, log in or sign up.

Get started for free

Home » Education » What is the Difference Between Questionnaire and Schedule

What is the Difference Between Questionnaire and Schedule

The main difference between questionnaire and schedule is that questionnaires consist of a set of open-ended or close-ended questions, whereas schedules contain a set of structured questions that are directly asked by the interviewer.

Although questionnaires and schedules are used as data collection tools in research studies, there are slight differences between questionnaires and schedules.

Key Areas Covered

1.  What is a Questionnaire       – Definition, Features  2.  What is a Schedule      – Definition, Features 3.  Difference Between Questionnaire and Schedule      – Comparison of Key Differences

Questionnaire, Schedule, Data Collection

What is a Questionnaire

Questionnaires are used to gather information or data when conducting research. Questionnaires include different types of question forms that are related to respondents’ points of view: close-ended, open-ended, short form, long-form, etc. One of the important facts one should consider when forming questions for a questionnaire is that questions should always be unbiased. An effective questionnaire should also be simple and concise. Furthermore, a questionnaire should be specific to the topic and should consist of different types.

The use of questionnaires in research is considered a more feasible and efficient research method than in-depth interviews. There are many benefits of using questionnaires to gather data. Questionnaires save the time of respondents as well as the researcher. At the same time, the use of questionnaires allows the researcher to capture a larger audience, especially when compared to the use of in-depth interviews to gather data. Also, the researcher can print and distribute the questionnaires among respondents. Some researchers also distribute a soft copy of the questionnaires to the target audience. 

What is a Schedule

A schedule is a research tool to gather information and design a research study. A schedule consists of a set of structured questions on a specific topic. The interviewer directly asks these questions personally. When the respondents face issues in understanding the questions in a schedule, they can seek help from the interviewer to sort them out. A schedule contains well-structured questions, and those questions are asked by the interviewer, or else the respondents should write the answers to the questions in the presence of the interviewer.

The questions in a schedule do not contain answer options; the respondents have to write or respond to the interviewer verbally. The data gathered in a schedule is qualitative . In a schedule, the order and the structure of the questions are significant, and the proper order of the questions cannot be changed. The use of a schedule is an expensive method to collect data because interviewers should be hired and trained for the purpose.

Similarities Between Questionnaire and Schedule

• Both questionnaires and schedules are data collection tools.
• Questionnaires and schedules consist of a set of questions to be asked from the respondents.

Differences Between Questionnaire and Schedule

A questionnaire is a structured data collection tool where choices may be given or may not be given, while a schedule consists of a set of structured questions on a particular topic that are directly asked by the interviewer.

Although a questionnaire may consist of open-ended questions and close-ended questions, questions in a schedule may not be composed of choices. The respondents must answer the questions in a schedule.

Questionnaires can cover a large audience easily, whereas schedules cover only a small set or small groups of people.

Although the use of questionnaires is cost-effective, the use of schedules in data collection is very expensive since the researcher should hire and train the interviewers on how to get the responses.

The respondents of a questionnaire can give their responses in the absence of the researcher, whereas in schedules, the respondents should provide their answers in the presence of the interviewer.

Respondents

Although respondents are assisted by the interviewer in clarifying the questions in a schedule, the respondents are not assisted when answering questionnaires.

The main difference between questionnaire and schedule is that questionnaire consists of a set of open-ended or close-ended questions, whereas a schedule contains a set of structured questions that are directly asked by the interviewer.

1. Amaresan, Swetha. “ 28 Questionnaire Examples, Questions, & Templates to Survey Your Clients .” HubSpot Blog, HubSpot, 23 May 2022. 2. “ Schedule .” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 May 2022.

Image Courtesy:

1. “ Musculoskeletal survey Nordic questionnaire ” By different – The Nordic questionnaire on ergonomic problems is Creative Commonds (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia 2. “ Women In Tech – 82 ” By WOCinTech Chat (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

About the Author: Gerandielle

​you may also like these, leave a reply cancel reply.

Thesis, major paper, and major project proposals

• Definitions
• Introductory section
• Literature review
• Methodology

Schedule/work plan

• Other potential elements
• Proposal references
• Ask for help

If you're unsure if your research proposal requires a schedule or work plan, please consult your project handbook and/or speak with your instructor, advisor, or supervisor.

The information about schedules or work plans in proposals was gathered from RRU thesis and major project handbooks, current in 2020, from programs in the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences, the Faculty of Management, and the College of Interdisciplinary Studies. If the details here differ from the information provided in the handbook for your project, please follow the handbook's directions.

Image credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

• In RRU's Anxiety About Academic Writing guide, this resource is open to everyone.

How Do I Plan the Various Stages of My Research Project?

• In SAGE Research Methods: Planning and Practicalities, look for How Do I Plan the Various Stages of My Research Project? drop down option. Access via this link requires a RRU username and password.

Learning Skills: Time Management

• In RRU's Learning Skills guide, this resource is open to everyone.

What Do I Need to Know About Time and Timetabling?

• In SAGE Research Methods: Planning and Practicalities, look for the What Do I Need to Know About Time and Timetabling? drop down option. Access via this link requires a RRU username and password.

Image credit: Image by Mohamed Assan from Pixabay

• << Previous: Methodology
• Next: Other potential elements >>
• Last Updated: Jan 8, 2024 12:29 PM
• URL: https://libguides.royalroads.ca/proposals

FLEET LIBRARY | Research Guides

Rhode island school of design, create a research plan: research plan.

• Research Plan
• Literature Review
• Ulrich's Global Serials Directory
• Related Guides

A research plan is a framework that shows how you intend to approach your topic. The plan can take many forms: a written outline, a narrative, a visual/concept map or timeline. It's a document that will change and develop as you conduct your research. Components of a research plan

1. Research conceptualization - introduces your research question

2. Research methodology - describes your approach to the research question

3. Literature review, critical evaluation and synthesis - systematic approach to locating,

    reviewing and evaluating the work (text, exhibitions, critiques, etc) relating to your topic

4. Communication - geared toward an intended audience, shows evidence of your inquiry

Research conceptualization refers to the ability to identify specific research questions, problems or opportunities that are worthy of inquiry. Research conceptualization also includes the skills and discipline that go beyond the initial moment of conception, and which enable the researcher to formulate and develop an idea into something researchable ( Newbury 373).

Research methodology refers to the knowledge and skills required to select and apply appropriate methods to carry through the research project ( Newbury 374) .

Method describes a single mode of proceeding; methodology describes the overall process.

Method - a way of doing anything especially according to a defined and regular plan; a mode of procedure in any activity

Methodology - the study of the direction and implications of empirical research, or the sustainability of techniques employed in it; a method or body of methods used in a particular field of study or activity *Browse a list of research methodology books  or this guide on Art & Design Research

Literature Review, critical evaluation & synthesis

A literature review is a systematic approach to locating, reviewing, and evaluating the published work and work in progress of scholars, researchers, and practitioners on a given topic.

Critical evaluation and synthesis is the ability to handle (or process) existing sources. It includes knowledge of the sources of literature and contextual research field within which the person is working ( Newbury 373).

Literature reviews are done for many reasons and situations. Here's a short list:

Sources to consult while conducting a literature review:

Online catalogs of local, regional, national, and special libraries

meta-catalogs such as worldcat , Art Discovery Group , europeana , world digital library or RIBA

subject-specific online article databases (such as the Avery Index, JSTOR, Project Muse)

digital institutional repositories such as Digital Commons @RISD ; see Registry of Open Access Repositories

Open Access Resources recommended by RISD Research LIbrarians

works cited in scholarly books and articles

print bibliographies

the internet-locate major nonprofit, research institutes, museum, university, and government websites

search google scholar to locate grey literature & referenced citations

trade and scholarly publishers

fellow scholars and peers

Communication                              

Communication refers to the ability to

• structure a coherent line of inquiry
• communicate your findings to your intended audience
• make skilled use of visual material to express ideas for presentations, writing, and the creation of exhibitions ( Newbury 374)

Research plan framework: Newbury, Darren. "Research Training in the Creative Arts and Design." The Routledge Companion to Research in the Arts . Ed. Michael Biggs and Henrik Karlsson. New York: Routledge, 2010. 368-87. Print.

About the author

Except where otherwise noted, this guide is subject to a Creative Commons Attribution license

source document

  Routledge Companion to Research in the Arts

• Next: Literature Review >>
• Last Updated: Sep 7, 2024 3:56 PM
• URL: https://risd.libguides.com/researchplan

Microbe Notes

Questionnaires and Schedules

• The research process is incomplete without the collection of data, which starts after the identification of the research problems and chalking out research design.
• There are several methods involved in the collection of primary data, like observation, interviews, questionnaires, schedules, etc.
• Both questionnaire and schedule are popularly used methods of collecting data in research surveys.
• There is much resemblance in the nature of these two methods and this fact has made many people to remark that from a practical point of view, the two methods can be taken to be the same.
• But from the technical point of view, there are many differences between the two common methods of data collection.

Table of Contents

Interesting Science Videos

Similarities between Questionnaires and Schedules

• Both are set of related items having questions relating to a central problem.
• Both use mainly structured questions and these questions are so phased and interlocked that they have a built-in mechanism for testing the reliability and validity of the response.
• In both the same set of questions is administered to all the respondents and comparable results are obtained.
• Both these instruments have to be used with the same general principles of designs and have to take into account the same problems and basic difficulties they have to be limited in lend.
• Drawing the responding into a situation through awake and interest.
• Proceeding from simple to complex questions.
• No early and sudden request for information of a personal and embracing intimate nature.
• Not asking embarrassing questions without giving the respondent an opportunity to explain himself.
• Moving smoothly from one item to another.
• In both certain types of questions have to be eliminated such as vague and ambiguous questions, emotionally changed questions, loaded and leading questions, questions eliciting no response and questions having a structured response to the queries, violence to the existing facts.
• In both pilot studies and pre-tests are necessary for formulating the instrument and for bringing them to the final form. They have to go through the same stages of development.

Differences between Questionnaires and Schedules

• The questionnaire refers to a technique of data collection which consists of a series of written questions along with alternative answers.
• The schedule is a formalized set of questions, statements, and spaces for answers, provided to the enumerators who ask questions to the respondents and note down the answers.
• While a questionnaire is filled by the informants themselves, enumerators fill the schedule on behalf of the respondent.

• Kumar, Ranjit. Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2011. Print.
• https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-questionnaire-and-schedule.html
• https://www.wisdomjobs.com/e-university/research-methodology-tutorial-355/difference-between-questionnaires-and-schedules-11492.html
• https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Schedule-and-Questionnaire-in-Research-Methodology
• https://www.advancedwriters.com/write-my-research-paper.html

About Author

Sagar Aryal

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• IAS Preparation
• Difference Between Articles

Difference between Questionnaire and Schedule

Difference between Questionnaire and Schedule is explained here in detail. 

The questionnaire was first developed in London in 1838. This is a method of collecting data from respondents through a series of questions. It focuses more on obtaining standardized answers instead of specific answers. There are 7 different types of Questionnaires.

The schedule is another data collection technique containing statements, questions, and blank spaces to fill up the answers given by the respondents to the enumerator or interviewer. 

To comprehensively understand the IAS Exam pattern at all 3 different stages, and other important details pertaining to the Civil Services Exam, aspirants can visit the given link.

Difference between Questionnaire and Schedule – UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here

The major differences between the Questionnaire and Schedule are:

After learning about the differences between Questionnaire and Schedule methods of data collection, visit the below-given links to learn more about Statistics Optional for UPSC Mains Exam, and important details pertaining to the Economic Survey, NSSO, and measurements of National Income. Also, refer to the Economics Notes for UPSC Exam.

• Strategy for Statistics Optional
• Statistics Optional Syllabus – UPSC Mains Exam
• Economic Survey 2023 – Definition, Importance
• National Sample Survey Office – Merger with CSO  
• Measurements of National Income – Product, Value-Added & Expenditure Method
• Economics and Indian Economy Notes – UPSC Civil Service Exam
• Strategy for Sociology Optional – Syllabus, Books for UPSC Exam
• Difference between Sociology and Political Science
• Difference between Sociology and Public Administration

Candidates can find the general pattern of the UPSC Civil Service Exam by visiting the UPSC Syllabus   page.

UPSC Preparation

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request OTP on Voice Call

Post My Comment

IAS 2024 - Your dream can come true!

Download the ultimate guide to upsc cse preparation, register with byju's & download free pdfs, register with byju's & watch live videos.

Illustration by James Round

How to plan a research project

Whether for a paper or a thesis, define your question, review the work of others – and leave yourself open to discovery.

by Brooke Harrington   + BIO

is professor of sociology at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Her research has won international awards both for scholarly quality and impact on public life. She has published dozens of articles and three books, most recently the bestseller Capital without Borders (2016), now translated into five languages.

Edited by Sam Haselby

Need to know

‘When curiosity turns to serious matters, it’s called research.’ – From Aphorisms (1880-1905) by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Planning research projects is a time-honoured intellectual exercise: one that requires both creativity and sharp analytical skills. The purpose of this Guide is to make the process systematic and easy to understand. While there is a great deal of freedom and discovery involved – from the topics you choose, to the data and methods you apply – there are also some norms and constraints that obtain, no matter what your academic level or field of study. For those in high school through to doctoral students, and from art history to archaeology, research planning involves broadly similar steps, including: formulating a question, developing an argument or predictions based on previous research, then selecting the information needed to answer your question.

Some of this might sound self-evident but, as you’ll find, research requires a different way of approaching and using information than most of us are accustomed to in everyday life. That is why I include orienting yourself to knowledge-creation as an initial step in the process. This is a crucial and underappreciated phase in education, akin to making the transition from salaried employment to entrepreneurship: suddenly, you’re on your own, and that requires a new way of thinking about your work.

What follows is a distillation of what I’ve learned about this process over 27 years as a professional social scientist. It reflects the skills that my own professors imparted in the sociology doctoral programme at Harvard, as well as what I learned later on as a research supervisor for Ivy League PhD and MA students, and then as the author of award-winning scholarly books and articles. It can be adapted to the demands of both short projects (such as course term papers) and long ones, such as a thesis.

At its simplest, research planning involves the four distinct steps outlined below: orienting yourself to knowledge-creation; defining your research question; reviewing previous research on your question; and then choosing relevant data to formulate your own answers. Because the focus of this Guide is on planning a research project, as opposed to conducting a research project, this section won’t delve into the details of data-collection or analysis; those steps happen after you plan the project. In addition, the topic is vast: year-long doctoral courses are devoted to data and analysis. Instead, the fourth part of this section will outline some basic strategies you could use in planning a data-selection and analysis process appropriate to your research question.

Step 1: Orient yourself

Planning and conducting research requires you to make a transition, from thinking like a consumer of information to thinking like a producer of information. That sounds simple, but it’s actually a complex task. As a practical matter, this means putting aside the mindset of a student, which treats knowledge as something created by other people. As students, we are often passive receivers of knowledge: asked to do a specified set of readings, then graded on how well we reproduce what we’ve read.

Researchers, however, must take on an active role as knowledge producers . Doing research requires more of you than reading and absorbing what other people have written: you have to engage in a dialogue with it. That includes arguing with previous knowledge and perhaps trying to show that ideas we have accepted as given are actually wrong or incomplete. For example, rather than simply taking in the claims of an author you read, you’ll need to draw out the implications of those claims: if what the author is saying is true, what else does that suggest must be true? What predictions could you make based on the author’s claims?

In other words, rather than treating a reading as a source of truth – even if it comes from a revered source, such as Plato or Marie Curie – this orientation step asks you to treat the claims you read as provisional and subject to interrogation. That is one of the great pieces of wisdom that science and philosophy can teach us: that the biggest advances in human understanding have been made not by being correct about trivial things, but by being wrong in an interesting way . For example, Albert Einstein was wrong about quantum mechanics, but his arguments about it with his fellow physicist Niels Bohr have led to some of the biggest breakthroughs in science, even a century later.

Step 2: Define your research question

Students often give this step cursory attention, but experienced researchers know that formulating a good question is sometimes the most difficult part of the research planning process. That is because the precise language of the question frames the rest of the project. It’s therefore important to pose the question carefully, in a way that’s both possible to answer and likely to yield interesting results. Of course, you must choose a question that interests you, but that’s only the beginning of what’s likely to be an iterative process: most researchers come back to this step repeatedly, modifying their questions in light of previous research, resource limitations and other considerations.

Researchers face limits in terms of time and money. They, like everyone else, have to pose research questions that they can plausibly answer given the constraints they face. For example, it would be inadvisable to frame a project around the question ‘What are the roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict?’ if you have only a week to develop an answer and no background on that topic. That’s not to limit your imagination: you can come up with any question you’d like. But it typically does require some creativity to frame a question that you can answer well – that is, by investigating thoroughly and providing new insights – within the limits you face.

In addition to being interesting to you, and feasible within your resource constraints, the third and most important characteristic of a ‘good’ research topic is whether it allows you to create new knowledge. It might turn out that your question has already been asked and answered to your satisfaction: if so, you’ll find out in the next step of this process. On the other hand, you might come up with a research question that hasn’t been addressed previously. Before you get too excited about breaking uncharted ground, consider this: a lot of potentially researchable questions haven’t been studied for good reason ; they might have answers that are trivial or of very limited interest. This could include questions such as ‘Why does the area of a circle equal π r²?’ or ‘Did winter conditions affect Napoleon’s plans to invade Russia?’ Of course, you might be able to make the argument that a seemingly trivial question is actually vitally important, but you must be prepared to back that up with convincing evidence. The exercise in the ‘Learn More’ section below will help you think through some of these issues.

Finally, scholarly research questions must in some way lead to new and distinctive insights. For example, lots of people have studied gender roles in sports teams; what can you ask that hasn’t been asked before? Reinventing the wheel is the number-one no-no in this endeavour. That’s why the next step is so important: reviewing previous research on your topic. Depending on what you find in that step, you might need to revise your research question; iterating between your question and the existing literature is a normal process. But don’t worry: it doesn’t go on forever. In fact, the iterations taper off – and your research question stabilises – as you develop a firm grasp of the current state of knowledge on your topic.

Step 3: Review previous research

In academic research, from articles to books, it’s common to find a section called a ‘literature review’. The purpose of that section is to describe the state of the art in knowledge on the research question that a project has posed. It demonstrates that researchers have thoroughly and systematically reviewed the relevant findings of previous studies on their topic, and that they have something novel to contribute.

Your own research project should include something like this, even if it’s a high-school term paper. In the research planning process, you’ll want to list at least half a dozen bullet points stating the major findings on your topic by other people. In relation to those findings, you should be able to specify where your project could provide new and necessary insights. There are two basic rhetorical positions one can take in framing the novelty-plus-importance argument required of academic research:

• Position 1 requires you to build on or extend a set of existing ideas; that means saying something like: ‘Person A has argued that X is true about gender; this implies Y, which has not yet been tested. My project will test Y, and if I find evidence to support it, that will change the way we understand gender.’
• Position 2 is to argue that there is a gap in existing knowledge, either because previous research has reached conflicting conclusions or has failed to consider something important. For example, one could say that research on middle schoolers and gender has been limited by being conducted primarily in coeducational environments, and that findings might differ dramatically if research were conducted in more schools where the student body was all-male or all-female.

Your overall goal in this step of the process is to show that your research will be part of a larger conversation: that is, how your project flows from what’s already known, and how it advances, extends or challenges that existing body of knowledge. That will be the contribution of your project, and it constitutes the motivation for your research.

Two things are worth mentioning about your search for sources of relevant previous research. First, you needn’t look only at studies on your precise topic. For example, if you want to study gender-identity formation in schools, you shouldn’t restrict yourself to studies of schools; the empirical setting (schools) is secondary to the larger social process that interests you (how people form gender identity). That process occurs in many different settings, so cast a wide net. Second, be sure to use legitimate sources – meaning publications that have been through some sort of vetting process, whether that involves peer review (as with academic journal articles you might find via Google Scholar) or editorial review (as you’d find in well-known mass media publications, such as The Economist or The Washington Post ). What you’ll want to avoid is using unvetted sources such as personal blogs or Wikipedia. Why? Because anybody can write anything in those forums, and there is no way to know – unless you’re already an expert – if the claims you find there are accurate. Often, they’re not.

Step 4: Choose your data and methods

Whatever your research question is, eventually you’ll need to consider which data source and analytical strategy are most likely to provide the answers you’re seeking. One starting point is to consider whether your question would be best addressed by qualitative data (such as interviews, observations or historical records), quantitative data (such as surveys or census records) or some combination of both. Your ideas about data sources will, in turn, suggest options for analytical methods.

You might need to collect your own data, or you might find everything you need readily available in an existing dataset someone else has created. A great place to start is with a research librarian: university libraries always have them and, at public universities, those librarians can work with the public, including people who aren’t affiliated with the university. If you don’t happen to have a public university and its library close at hand, an ordinary public library can still be a good place to start: the librarians are often well versed in accessing data sources that might be relevant to your study, such as the census, or historical archives, or the Survey of Consumer Finances.

Because your task at this point is to plan research, rather than conduct it, the purpose of this step is not to commit you irrevocably to a course of action. Instead, your goal here is to think through a feasible approach to answering your research question. You’ll need to find out, for example, whether the data you want exist; if not, do you have a realistic chance of gathering the data yourself, or would it be better to modify your research question? In terms of analysis, would your strategy require you to apply statistical methods? If so, do you have those skills? If not, do you have time to learn them, or money to hire a research assistant to run the analysis for you?

Please be aware that qualitative methods in particular are not the casual undertaking they might appear to be. Many people make the mistake of thinking that only quantitative data and methods are scientific and systematic, while qualitative methods are just a fancy way of saying: ‘I talked to some people, read some old newspapers, and drew my own conclusions.’ Nothing could be further from the truth. In the final section of this guide, you’ll find some links to resources that will provide more insight on standards and procedures governing qualitative research, but suffice it to say: there are rules about what constitutes legitimate evidence and valid analytical procedure for qualitative data, just as there are for quantitative data.

Circle back and consider revising your initial plans

As you work through these four steps in planning your project, it’s perfectly normal to circle back and revise. Research planning is rarely a linear process. It’s also common for new and unexpected avenues to suggest themselves. As the sociologist Thorstein Veblen wrote in 1908 : ‘The outcome of any serious research can only be to make two questions grow where only one grew before.’ That’s as true of research planning as it is of a completed project. Try to enjoy the horizons that open up for you in this process, rather than becoming overwhelmed; the four steps, along with the two exercises that follow, will help you focus your plan and make it manageable.

Key points – How to plan a research project

• Planning a research project is essential no matter your academic level or field of study. There is no one ‘best’ way to design research, but there are certain guidelines that can be helpfully applied across disciplines.
• Orient yourself to knowledge-creation. Make the shift from being a consumer of information to being a producer of information.
• Define your research question. Your question frames the rest of your project, sets the scope, and determines the kinds of answers you can find.
• Review previous research on your question. Survey the existing body of relevant knowledge to ensure that your research will be part of a larger conversation.
• Choose your data and methods. For instance, will you be collecting qualitative data, via interviews, or numerical data, via surveys?
• Circle back and consider revising your initial plans. Expect your research question in particular to undergo multiple rounds of refinement as you learn more about your topic.

Good research questions tend to beget more questions. This can be frustrating for those who want to get down to business right away. Try to make room for the unexpected: this is usually how knowledge advances. Many of the most significant discoveries in human history have been made by people who were looking for something else entirely. There are ways to structure your research planning process without over-constraining yourself; the two exercises below are a start, and you can find further methods in the Links and Books section.

The following exercise provides a structured process for advancing your research project planning. After completing it, you’ll be able to do the following:

• describe clearly and concisely the question you’ve chosen to study
• summarise the state of the art in knowledge about the question, and where your project could contribute new insight
• identify the best strategy for gathering and analysing relevant data

In other words, the following provides a systematic means to establish the building blocks of your research project.

Exercise 1: Definition of research question and sources

This exercise prompts you to select and clarify your general interest area, develop a research question, and investigate sources of information. The annotated bibliography will also help you refine your research question so that you can begin the second assignment, a description of the phenomenon you wish to study.

Jot down a few bullet points in response to these two questions, with the understanding that you’ll probably go back and modify your answers as you begin reading other studies relevant to your topic:

• What will be the general topic of your paper?
• What will be the specific topic of your paper?

b) Research question(s)

Use the following guidelines to frame a research question – or questions – that will drive your analysis. As with Part 1 above, you’ll probably find it necessary to change or refine your research question(s) as you complete future assignments.

• Your question should be phrased so that it can’t be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
• Your question should have more than one plausible answer.
• Your question should draw relationships between two or more concepts; framing the question in terms of How? or What? often works better than asking Why ?

c) Annotated bibliography

Most or all of your background information should come from two sources: scholarly books and journals, or reputable mass media sources. You might be able to access journal articles electronically through your library, using search engines such as JSTOR and Google Scholar. This can save you a great deal of time compared with going to the library in person to search periodicals. General news sources, such as those accessible through LexisNexis, are acceptable, but should be cited sparingly, since they don’t carry the same level of credibility as scholarly sources. As discussed above, unvetted sources such as blogs and Wikipedia should be avoided, because the quality of the information they provide is unreliable and often misleading.

To create an annotated bibliography, provide the following information for at least 10 sources relevant to your specific topic, using the format suggested below.

Name of author(s):

Publication date:

Title of book, chapter, or article:

If a chapter or article, title of journal or book where they appear:

Brief description of this work, including main findings and methods ( c 75 words):

Summary of how this work contributes to your project ( c 75 words):

Brief description of the implications of this work ( c 25 words):

Identify any gap or controversy in knowledge this work points up, and how your project could address those problems ( c 50 words):

Exercise 2: Towards an analysis

Develop a short statement ( c 250 words) about the kind of data that would be useful to address your research question, and how you’d analyse it. Some questions to consider in writing this statement include:

• What are the central concepts or variables in your project? Offer a brief definition of each.
• Do any data sources exist on those concepts or variables, or would you need to collect data?
• Of the analytical strategies you could apply to that data, which would be the most appropriate to answer your question? Which would be the most feasible for you? Consider at least two methods, noting their advantages or disadvantages for your project.

Links & books

One of the best texts ever written about planning and executing research comes from a source that might be unexpected: a 60-year-old work on urban planning by a self-trained scholar. The classic book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) by Jane Jacobs (available complete and free of charge via this link ) is worth reading in its entirety just for the pleasure of it. But the final 20 pages – a concluding chapter titled ‘The Kind of Problem a City Is’ – are really about the process of thinking through and investigating a problem. Highly recommended as a window into the craft of research.

Jacobs’s text references an essay on advancing human knowledge by the mathematician Warren Weaver. At the time, Weaver was director of the Rockefeller Foundation, in charge of funding basic research in the natural and medical sciences. Although the essay is titled ‘A Quarter Century in the Natural Sciences’ (1960) and appears at first blush to be merely a summation of one man’s career, it turns out to be something much bigger and more interesting: a meditation on the history of human beings seeking answers to big questions about the world. Weaver goes back to the 17th century to trace the origins of systematic research thinking, with enthusiasm and vivid anecdotes that make the process come alive. The essay is worth reading in its entirety, and is available free of charge via this link .

For those seeking a more in-depth, professional-level discussion of the logic of research design, the political scientist Harvey Starr provides insight in a compact format in the article ‘Cumulation from Proper Specification: Theory, Logic, Research Design, and “Nice” Laws’ (2005). Starr reviews the ‘research triad’, consisting of the interlinked considerations of formulating a question, selecting relevant theories and applying appropriate methods. The full text of the article, published in the scholarly journal Conflict Management and Peace Science , is available, free of charge, via this link .

Finally, the book Getting What You Came For (1992) by Robert Peters is not only an outstanding guide for anyone contemplating graduate school – from the application process onward – but it also includes several excellent chapters on planning and executing research, applicable across a wide variety of subject areas. It was an invaluable resource for me 25 years ago, and it remains in print with good reason; I recommend it to all my students, particularly Chapter 16 (‘The Thesis Topic: Finding It’), Chapter 17 (‘The Thesis Proposal’) and Chapter 18 (‘The Thesis: Writing It’).

Consciousness

How to think about consciousness

What is it like to be you? Dive into the philosophical puzzle of consciousness and see yourself and the world in new ways

by Amy Kind

Spirituality and religion

How to find new spiritual practices

Even if religion isn’t for you, there’s a world of rituals and tools to lift yourself up and connect to something greater

by Morgan Shipley

Emerging therapies

How to look after your emotional health

Find out which of your emotional needs you’ve been neglecting and use tips from human givens therapy to address them

by Denise Winn

Research Paper Planner: Guide

• 1: Understand Your Assignment
• 2: Select & Focus Your Topic
• 3: Explore a Research Question
• 4: Design Your Research Strategy
• 5: Finding Sources
• 6: Read, Note, and Compare Sources
• 7: Write Thesis Statement
• 8: Writing the First Draft
• 9: Evaluate Your First Draft
• 10: Revise & Rewrite
• 11: Put Your Paper in Final Form

Reference Librarians

Welcome to the Research Paper Planner Guide

Welcome to the Guide portion of the BU Libraries' Research Paper Planner (RPP).  This Guide contains links to helpful resources for each step of the research and writing process.   If you have used the Timeline portion of the RPP the links in the Timeline will take you to the links for that step of the process.

This Guide may be used independently of the Timeline to locate resources for each of the following stages of the research and writing process; just click on the Step button to the left to get there.

Surprised that there are so many steps?  Research conducted by librarians and teachers of writing has shown that breaking a research paper or thesis down into these steps is the "normal" process of writing for humanities and social science disciplines.  Using these steps will help you approach your research assignment in a progressive manner that should produce a better final product.  Give it a try and then use the evaluation for to the right to let us know how the RPP worked for you and suggest ways it could be improved.

This work is based on the University of Minnesota's Assignment Calculator but has been modified to meet the needs of the Baylor University community.

• Research Paper Planner: Timeline This link will take you to the Timeline portion of the Research Paper Planner where you can set a start and end date for your writing project, see the deadlines for each step, print out the Timeline for your project, and/or set up email alerts for each step of the research and writing process.
• Next: 1: Understand Your Assignment >>
• Last Updated: Jun 11, 2024 10:42 AM
• URL: https://libguides.baylor.edu/planner

University Libraries

One Bear Place #97148 Waco, TX 76798-7148

(254) 710-6702

   Ask a Question

Copyright © Baylor® University . All rights reserved.

Report It | Title IX | Mental Health Resources | Anonymous Reporting | Legal Disclosures

Mastering the Research Timetable: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators and Academic Professionals

A successful research project requires effective time management, planning, and organization. Mastering the research timetable can be challenging for educators and academic professionals. This comprehensive guide provides helpful, evidence-based tips for creating and maintaining a research timetable that promises the successful execution, completion, and delivery of research projects.

Table of Contents

The Importance of a Research Timetable

A research timetable is an essential tool for guiding and monitoring the progress of research projects. It serves as a framework for allocating tasks, allocating time, setting deadlines, and ensuring the project’s successful completion. The benefits of creating and maintaining an accurate Research Timetable include the following:

• Streamlining the research process and boosting productivity
• Ensuring timely delivery of research outputs
• Reducing procrastination and preventing burnout
• Facilitating collaboration among team members
• Enhancing overall study quality by allowing for ample time to address any unforeseen setbacks or challenges

Establishing Goals and Objectives

To craft a practical research timetable, first, establish clear goals and objectives that will serve as the foundation and strategic direction of the project. To set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your research project, take the following steps:

• Identify the primary question or problem your research aims to address.
• Define the scope and overall purpose of the study.
• Recognize the necessary methods and tools for data collection and analysis.
• Outline critical deliverables (e.g., publications, presentations).
• Consider any limitations or constraints that may impact the research process.

Setting SMART goals and objectives gives your research project a clear direction, ensuring all tasks and milestones align with its primary purpose.

Creating a Research Timetable: Best Practices

Planning and creating a research timetable requires careful consideration and strategic thinking. Following best practices can improve the efficacy and productivity of your research project. Here are some critical steps and references for creating a research timetable:

Divide the Project into Phases

Breaking down the research project into smaller, manageable phases simplifies planning and helps maintain focus on the overall progress. Typical research project phases include:

• Preliminary planning and literature review
• Proposal development and submission
• Ethical review and approvals
• Data collection and analysis
• Writing, editing and revising
• Submission and dissemination

Identify Key Activities and Time Estimates

For each phase, outline the necessary tasks and sub-tasks. Assign realistic time estimates to each job, accounting for potential setbacks and unexpected delays. Consider allocating additional time for tasks requiring revisions, team consultations, or involving external entities (e.g., ethical review committees).

Establish Milestones and Deadlines

Setting milestones helps track progress and maintains momentum throughout the project. Assign concrete deadlines for each phase or primary task, ensuring they align with the project’s goals and objectives. Deadlines are valuable motivators and provide an accurate timeline for completing the research project.

Prioritize Tasks

Establish the sequence for executing tasks according to their priority, dependencies, and required resources. Prioritize tasks to maintain a logical progression in the research project, prevent potential bottlenecks, and optimize the utilization of available resources.

Assign Tasks and Responsibilities

Clearly define the tasks and responsibilities of all team members, ensuring that everyone is aware of their roles and expectations. This delegation contributes to balanced workloads, improved collaboration, and tremendous project success.

Monitor and Update the Timetable Regularly

Regularly review the research timetable to assess progress, identify discrepancies between planned and actual completion dates, and proactively address potential delays or setbacks. Keeping the schedule up-to-date is essential for maintaining momentum and ensuring the project remains on track.

Tips for Managing Research Timetables

Effective management of research timetables is vital for project success. The following tips can help educators and academic professionals maintain and improve their research timetables:

• Stay flexible : Be prepared to make adjustments as unforeseen circumstances or changing project needs arise.
• Communicate with your team : Regular communication with team members helps promptly address any issues or concerns and facilitates collaboration.
• Use project management tools : Utilize digital platforms or applications that support project planning, task assignments, and progress tracking, such as Trello, Asana, or Microsoft Project.
• Set realistic expectations : Be aware of your team’s capacity, resources available, and any competing commitments to avoid overloading and burnout.
• Celebrate small wins : Acknowledge and celebrate task completion or milestone achievements, fostering motivation and engagement within the team.

Educators and academic professionals can effectively plan, execute, and complete their research projects within defined timeframes by applying these best practices, tips, and strategies for creating and managing research timetables. Detailed and consistent research timetables contribute to successfully delivering high-quality research, improved collaboration, and a more satisfying and rewarding experience for all involved.

Mark Anthony Llego

Mark Anthony Llego, a visionary from the Philippines, founded TeacherPH in October 2014 with a mission to transform the educational landscape. His platform has empowered thousands of Filipino teachers, providing them with crucial resources and a space for meaningful idea exchange, ultimately enhancing their instructional and supervisory capabilities. TeacherPH's influence extends far beyond its origins. Mark's insightful articles on education have garnered international attention, featuring on respected U.S. educational websites. Moreover, his work has become a valuable reference for researchers, contributing to the academic discourse on education.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Can't find what you're looking for.

We are here to help - please use the search box below.

• Accountancy
• Business Studies
• Organisational Behaviour
• Human Resource Management
• Entrepreneurship

Questionnaires and Schedules Method of Data Collection

Questionnaires & Schedule method of data collection :

The questionnaires are the fundamental instrument for gathering information in review research. Fundamentally, it is a bunch of standardized questions, frequently called items, which follow a decent plan to gather individual information around at least one explicit theme.

The schedule is a formalized arrangement of inquiries, proclamations, statements, and spaces for replies given to the enumerators who pose inquiries to the respondents and note down the responses.

Following are the two ways of collecting data through questionnaires:

• Mailing Method
• Enumerator Method

1. Mailing Method:  

In this method of data collection , the investigator prepares a questionnaire related to the investigation and mailed it to different individuals with a request to fill it out and send it back. In the questionnaire, the investigator provides the respondents with a black space to write their answers. Also, the investigators usually enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with the questionnaire for returning it by post. Besides, the respondents are given assurance regarding the secrecy of the information provided by them for the study. Mailing Method is normally adopted by research workers and other official and non-official agencies. 

Suitability of Mailing Method

Mailing Method is suitable in the following cases:

• When the field of investigation is very large.
• When the respondents are educated and are likely to cooperate with the investigators and their investigation.

Merits of Mailing Method

Various advantages of the Mailing Method are as follows:

1. Wide Coverage: This strategy is valuable when the field of examination is large, and the respondents are dispersed over a wide region. Besides, this is the only method of collecting data that reaches remote areas.

2. No Role of Questioner: It is liberated from the inclination of the questioner.

3. Time: In this method, respondents have sufficient time to give the required information.

4. Free from Bias: The respondents interpret the questions in their own way; therefore, this method is free from any personal bias of the investigator.

5. Direct Involvement: There is uniformity in the data collected because informants are directly involved in this.

6. Economical: The Mailing Method is economical as it requires less time, effort, and money.

7. Maintains Secrecy: It is suitable when the investigation involved sensitive questions as it maintains the secrecy of the respondent.  

Demerits of Mailing Method

Some of the disadvantages of the Mailing Method are as follows:

1. Educated Informants: It cannot be utilized for unskilled or uninformed respondents.

2. Non-reaction: The pace of non-reaction is high as compared with other techniques.

3. Uncertainty: The command over the survey might be lost whenever it is sent.

4. Lack of Clarity: It is challenging to confirm the precision of the responses given. 

5. Feasibility: To check the feasibility of the data collected, a pilot study is essential in this technique. 

6. Chances of Misinterpretation: Every respondent interprets the question in their own way, which may not be the same as the sense in which the investigator is asking the question, resulting in vague and ambiguous answers.

Precautions for Mailing Method

The investigator should keep the following points in mind while using the mailing method:

1. The questionnaire should be simple, attractive, and short.

2. The questions under this method should not hurt the sentiments and feelings of the informants, and should not be very personal.

3. The questions should be formed with a proper system, sequence, and planning.

4. The investigator should clearly define the object of enquiry.

5. The investigator should make effort to get the information as early as possible.

6. There should be a self-addressed and stamped envelope along with the questionnaire.

2. Enumerator Method:

Under the Enumerator Method, the enumerator takes the questionnaire and personally visits the informants, asks questions from them, and notes down their replies. An enumerator is a trained person who collects information and performs all the field work related to the collection of data. The enumerator also helps the respondents in understanding the true interpretation of the questions and fills up the schedules themselves to avoid ambiguous and vague replies. Besides, to get reliable information from the respondents, an enumerator should be we-trained, tactful, hard-working, and unbiased. This method is generally used by semi-government organisations, governments, research institutions, etc. The questionnaire filled by the investigator is known as a Schedule.

Suitability of Enumerator Method

The Enumerator Method is suitable in the following cases:

• When adequate finance and trained enumerators are available to cover a wide field. 
• When the respondents are not literate.

Merits of Enumerator Method

Various advantages of Enumerators Method are as follows:

1. Uneducated Persons: As the enumerator, himself fills the questionnaire, this method can be used in those cases where the target population is not proficient. 

2. Assistance: Respondents can address perplexing and troublesome inquiries with the assistance of the enumerators.

3. Less Chance of Bias: It leaves little scope for the poll to be biased.

4. Reliability: The data collected is more reliable and correct.

5. Responsiveness: There is less chance of non-response as the enumerator presonally visits people.

Demerits of Enumerator Method

Some of the disadvantages of Enumerators Method are as follows:

1. Costly: It is a costly method and requires a lot of money. 

2. Time-Consuming: It is a very time-consuming process as the enumerator has to personally go and visit the respondents.

3. Skilled Personnel: The outcome of this technique relies upon the accessibility of prepared and skilled enumerators.

4. Personal Bias: The inclination of enumerators could impact the result of data.

5. Affordability: It can only be afforded by big organisations.

Precautions of Enumerator Method

The investigator should keep the following points in mind while using enumerator method:

1. It is necessary for the enumerator to be the person of high integrity and should be properly trained for using statistical tools.

2. The enumerator should be tactful, polite, laborious, and honest to the work assigned to him.

3. It is also important that the informant is properly educated regarding the objective of investigation.

4. The enumerator’s work should be timely evaluated.

5. The questions of a schedule should be simple, clear, and small in length.

Please Login to comment...

Similar reads.

• Statistics for Economics
• Top Android Apps for 2024
• Top Cell Phone Signal Boosters in 2024
• Best Travel Apps (Paid & Free) in 2024
• The Best Smart Home Devices for 2024
• 10 Best Free Reverse Phone Number Lookup

Improve your Coding Skills with Practice

What kind of Experience do you want to share?

Observation

Observation, as the name implies, is a way of collecting data through observing. This data collection method is classified as a participatory study, because the researcher has to immerse herself in the setting where her respondents are, while taking notes and/or recording. Observation data collection method may involve watching, listening, reading, touching, and recording behavior and characteristics of phenomena.

Observation as a data collection method can be structured or unstructured. In structured or systematic observation, data collection is conducted using specific variables and according to a pre-defined schedule. Unstructured observation, on the other hand, is conducted in an open and free manner in a sense that there would be no pre-determined variables or objectives.

Moreover, this data collection method can be divided into overt or covert categories. In overt observation research subjects are aware that they are being observed. In covert observation, on the other hand, the observer is concealed and sample group members are not aware that they are being observed. Covert observation is considered to be more effective because in this case sample group members are likely to behave naturally with positive implications on the authenticity of research findings.

Advantages of observation data collection method include direct access to research phenomena, high levels of flexibility in terms of application and generating a permanent record of phenomena to be referred to later. At the same time, this method is disadvantaged with longer time requirements, high levels of observer bias, and impact of observer on primary data, in a way that presence of observer may influence the behaviour of sample group elements.

It is important to note that observation data collection method may be associated with certain ethical issues. As it is discussed further below in greater details, fully informed consent of research participant(s) is one of the basic ethical considerations to be adhered to by researchers. At the same time, the behaviour of sample group members may change with negative implications on the level of research validity if they are notified about the presence of the observer.

This delicate matter needs to be addressed by consulting with dissertation supervisor, and commencing the primary data collection process only after ethical aspects of the issue have been approved by the supervisor.

My e-book,  The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Dissertation in Business Studies: a step by step assistance  offers practical assistance to complete a dissertation with minimum or no stress. The e-book covers all stages of writing a dissertation starting from the selection to the research area to submitting the completed version of the work within the deadline.

John Dudovskiy

What Is an Observation Schedule?

Cari coleman.

Observation schedules are one of many essential analytical devices that scientists can use to turn multifaceted and complex visual observations into usable research data.

Explore this article

• Identification

1 Identification

An observation schedule is an analytical form, or coding sheet, filled out by researchers during structured observation. It carefully specifies beforehand the categories of behaviors or events under scrutiny and under what circumstances they should be assigned to those categories. Observations are then fragmented, or coded, into these more manageable pieces of information, which are later aggregated into usable, quantifiable data.

Observation schedules are utilized primarily in the fields of education, psychology, speech and language therapy, learning and behavioral therapy and market research. Schedules can range from exceedingly complex multiple-page examinations to simple tally sheets. Types of observation schedules include event sampling, time sampling, interval recording, rating scales and duration recording.

One of the most widely known and sophisticated observation schedules is the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), which systematically tests for telltale signs of autism in its subjects. Other notable examples include the Modified-Classroom Observation Schedule to Measure Intentional Communication (M-COSMIC) and the Flanders Interaction Analysis Categories.

About the Author

Cari Coleman has been a writer since 2004. She's written articles for the "Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter," developed brochures for "Mid-Central Community Action" and produced a book for Elisavietta Ritchie. Coleman has a Master of Arts in English from Illinois State University. Currently she's working on a short-story collection entitled "Midnight Snacks."

Related Articles

Policy Analysis Methods

What Is a Police Suitability Test?

List of Formal & Informal Assessment Tools & Methods

What Is the Difference Between Qualitative & Quantitative...

What Is Policy Analysis?

Examples of Student Observation Reports

What Is an Educational Module?

New Trends in Classroom Authentic Assessment

Classroom Assessment Tools for Elementary Students

Major Types of Research Design

What Is Educational Evaluation?

Tools for the Evaluation of Teacher Aides

What's the Difference Between NIMS & ICS?

Descriptive Research Techniques

The Difference Between Quantitative Research Methodology...

Why is Curriculum-Based Assessment Important in Assessing...

Working Conditions of Fashion Designers

Types of Classroom Assessments

Tools for Qualitative Research

Types of Welding Degrees

Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers.

• Accessibility
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Copyright Policy
• Manage Preferences

© 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. See disclaimer .

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base

Methodology

• Types of Interviews in Research | Guide & Examples

Types of Interviews in Research | Guide & Examples

Published on March 10, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on June 22, 2023.

An interview is a qualitative research method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data . Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom is the interviewer asking the questions.

There are several types of interviews, often differentiated by their level of structure.

• Structured interviews have predetermined questions asked in a predetermined order.
• Unstructured interviews are more free-flowing.
• Semi-structured interviews fall in between.

Interviews are commonly used in market research, social science, and ethnographic research .

Table of contents

What is a structured interview, what is a semi-structured interview, what is an unstructured interview, what is a focus group, examples of interview questions, advantages and disadvantages of interviews, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of interviews.

Structured interviews have predetermined questions in a set order. They are often closed-ended, featuring dichotomous (yes/no) or multiple-choice questions. While open-ended structured interviews exist, they are much less common. The types of questions asked make structured interviews a predominantly quantitative tool.

Asking set questions in a set order can help you see patterns among responses, and it allows you to easily compare responses between participants while keeping other factors constant. This can mitigate   research biases and lead to higher reliability and validity. However, structured interviews can be overly formal, as well as limited in scope and flexibility.

• You feel very comfortable with your topic. This will help you formulate your questions most effectively.
• You have limited time or resources. Structured interviews are a bit more straightforward to analyze because of their closed-ended nature, and can be a doable undertaking for an individual.
• Your research question depends on holding environmental conditions between participants constant.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Semi-structured interviews are a blend of structured and unstructured interviews. While the interviewer has a general plan for what they want to ask, the questions do not have to follow a particular phrasing or order.

Semi-structured interviews are often open-ended, allowing for flexibility, but follow a predetermined thematic framework, giving a sense of order. For this reason, they are often considered “the best of both worlds.”

However, if the questions differ substantially between participants, it can be challenging to look for patterns, lessening the generalizability and validity of your results.

• You have prior interview experience. It’s easier than you think to accidentally ask a leading question when coming up with questions on the fly. Overall, spontaneous questions are much more difficult than they may seem.
• Your research question is exploratory in nature. The answers you receive can help guide your future research.

An unstructured interview is the most flexible type of interview. The questions and the order in which they are asked are not set. Instead, the interview can proceed more spontaneously, based on the participant’s previous answers.

Unstructured interviews are by definition open-ended. This flexibility can help you gather detailed information on your topic, while still allowing you to observe patterns between participants.

However, so much flexibility means that they can be very challenging to conduct properly. You must be very careful not to ask leading questions, as biased responses can lead to lower reliability or even invalidate your research.

• You have a solid background in your research topic and have conducted interviews before.
• Your research question is exploratory in nature, and you are seeking descriptive data that will deepen and contextualize your initial hypotheses.
• Your research necessitates forming a deeper connection with your participants, encouraging them to feel comfortable revealing their true opinions and emotions.

A focus group brings together a group of participants to answer questions on a topic of interest in a moderated setting. Focus groups are qualitative in nature and often study the group’s dynamic and body language in addition to their answers. Responses can guide future research on consumer products and services, human behavior, or controversial topics.

Focus groups can provide more nuanced and unfiltered feedback than individual interviews and are easier to organize than experiments or large surveys . However, their small size leads to low external validity and the temptation as a researcher to “cherry-pick” responses that fit your hypotheses.

• Your research focuses on the dynamics of group discussion or real-time responses to your topic.
• Your questions are complex and rooted in feelings, opinions, and perceptions that cannot be answered with a “yes” or “no.”
• Your topic is exploratory in nature, and you are seeking information that will help you uncover new questions or future research ideas.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

Depending on the type of interview you are conducting, your questions will differ in style, phrasing, and intention. Structured interview questions are set and precise, while the other types of interviews allow for more open-endedness and flexibility.

Here are some examples.

• Semi-structured
• Unstructured
• Focus group
• Do you like dogs? Yes/No
• Do you associate dogs with feeling: happy; somewhat happy; neutral; somewhat unhappy; unhappy
• If yes, name one attribute of dogs that you like.
• If no, name one attribute of dogs that you don’t like.
• What feelings do dogs bring out in you?
• When you think more deeply about this, what experiences would you say your feelings are rooted in?

Interviews are a great research tool. They allow you to gather rich information and draw more detailed conclusions than other research methods, taking into consideration nonverbal cues, off-the-cuff reactions, and emotional responses.

However, they can also be time-consuming and deceptively challenging to conduct properly. Smaller sample sizes can cause their validity and reliability to suffer, and there is an inherent risk of interviewer effect arising from accidentally leading questions.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of each type of interview that can help you decide if you’d like to utilize this research method.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Student’s  t -distribution
• Normal distribution
• Null and Alternative Hypotheses
• Chi square tests
• Confidence interval
• Quartiles & Quantiles
• Cluster sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Data cleansing
• Reproducibility vs Replicability
• Peer review
• Prospective cohort study

Research bias

• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Placebo effect
• Hawthorne effect
• Hindsight bias
• Affect heuristic
• Social desirability bias

The four most common types of interviews are:

• Structured interviews : The questions are predetermined in both topic and order. 
• Semi-structured interviews : A few questions are predetermined, but other questions aren’t planned.
• Unstructured interviews : None of the questions are predetermined.
• Focus group interviews : The questions are presented to a group instead of one individual.

The interviewer effect is a type of bias that emerges when a characteristic of an interviewer (race, age, gender identity, etc.) influences the responses given by the interviewee.

There is a risk of an interviewer effect in all types of interviews , but it can be mitigated by writing really high-quality interview questions.

Social desirability bias is the tendency for interview participants to give responses that will be viewed favorably by the interviewer or other participants. It occurs in all types of interviews and surveys , but is most common in semi-structured interviews , unstructured interviews , and focus groups .

Social desirability bias can be mitigated by ensuring participants feel at ease and comfortable sharing their views. Make sure to pay attention to your own body language and any physical or verbal cues, such as nodding or widening your eyes.

This type of bias can also occur in observations if the participants know they’re being observed. They might alter their behavior accordingly.

A focus group is a research method that brings together a small group of people to answer questions in a moderated setting. The group is chosen due to predefined demographic traits, and the questions are designed to shed light on a topic of interest. It is one of 4 types of interviews .

Quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings.

Quantitative methods allow you to systematically measure variables and test hypotheses . Qualitative methods allow you to explore concepts and experiences in more detail.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

George, T. (2023, June 22). Types of Interviews in Research | Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/interviews-research/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

Other students also liked, unstructured interview | definition, guide & examples, structured interview | definition, guide & examples, semi-structured interview | definition, guide & examples, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

• Interview Schedule: Definition, Types, Templates and Tips

Featured in:

Turn the television on, and you are very likely to find a celebrity or some other famous personality conversing with a TV news anchor or program show host. Open the newspaper and there’s a chance that you’ll read about the thoughts of a prominent politician about certain issues, written down by a journalist.

As you walk to your office and pass by the Human Resource department, you see a queue of well-dressed young men and women waiting for their turn to go into the room and talk with the HR manager, who is currently trying to fill a vacant position.

These scenarios all involve conversations and exchanges of ideas, accomplished in the form of an interview.

© Shutterstock.com | Rawpixel.com

In this article, we explore 1) what an interview is, 2) the pros and cons of having an interview schedule , 3) the different types of interview schedules , 4) interview schedule templates , and 5) tips and tricks .

INTERVIEW: AN OVERVIEW

Quite possibly, the simplest definition of an “interview” is a “conversation where questions are asked and the corresponding answers are given. The setting and execution of the interview range from casual to semi-formal to formal, and it involves two parties: the interviewer and interviewee. The interviewer’s objective is to collect data and information by asking questions, and probing the answers that are given by the interviewee. It may even be described as the “interviewer’s script”.

An interview may be conducted one-on-one, with one interviewer and one interviewee, or in groups. For example, one interviewer may discuss with multiple interviewees, or more than one interviewers may converse with a single interviewee. Alternatively, it could be a group arrangement, with a panel of interviewers facing a panel of interviewees.

When are interviews conducted? Generally, interviews are used for the following:

• Hiring or Recruitment. A job interview involves a hiring manager or recruiter talking to or discussing with an applicant or candidate in order to assess the latter’s suitability and fit for an open position.
• Research. One way to gather data for research (e.g. marketing, economic, and scientific research) is through what is known as “research interview”, where respondents are sought for answers. In scientific research, for example, questions are formulated for the purpose of testing a hypothesis or assumption.
• Information dissemination. News is the prime example, where a person is asked questions for television, radio, newspaper, or similar media.

How can you tell if an interview is going smoothly? Well, common sense would dictate that an interview is going well if there is a continuous exchange of ideas and information, and this can be attributed to several factors.

• An objective or purpose , revolving around a specific topic or subject. Is it a job interview? Is the interview meant to find out what the interviewee thinks about a certain issue?
• The ability of the interviewer to ask questions and encourage the interviewee to connect with him and open up to him. This also refers to his ability to probe deeper and do follow ups on the questions to gain more information.
• The responsiveness of the interviewee , and his ability to express himself fully in his answers. He should be able to quickly grasp the question and understand what is being asked, so he can provide the answer that the interviewer is looking for.
• The interview setting . This includes the venue or location, the language used, and other external factors that set the overall tone of the interview.

If any of the above are absent (or present but lacking in any way), then you can expect the interview to go downhill from the beginning. However, another huge reason why most interviews fail or do not achieve the desired results is lack of preparation, particularly on the part of the interviewer. An indication of preparedness is an “interview schedule”.

THE INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

As fun as spontaneous or on-the-spot interviews may seem to be, they will still bomb if no preparation was put into it. Those “ambush” interviews you see on television? They are not completely random or “on-the-spot” as they are presented to be. The questions asked have already been prepared beforehand, and they are often contained in an interview schedule.

An interview schedule is basically a list containing a set of structured questions that have been prepared, to serve as a guide for interviewers, researchers and investigators in collecting information or data about a specific topic or issue. The schedule will be used by the interviewer, who will fill in the questions with the answers received during the actual interview.

Advantages of an Interview Schedule

• An interview schedule facilitates the conduct of an interview. Since the questions have already been prepared beforehand, it is easier to carry out and complete the interview.
• It increases the likelihood of collecting accurate information or data. The questions, which were already prepared beforehand, are expected to be well-thought out and have focus, so they target the “heart of the matter”, thereby ensuring that the answers obtained are correct or accurate. According to Lindlof & Taylor, interview schedules can increase the reliability and credibility of data gathered.
• It allows interviewers and researchers to get more information , since they can ask follow-up queries or clarifications to the questions they have prepared. Thus, the information gathered is more relevant and useful.
• The rate and amount of responses are higher. Often, interviews are time-bound. Interviewers are given only a limited amount of time to ask all their questions and get the answers. If he came prepared, then he can utilize that time properly. Otherwise, he will be wasting a lot of time, thinking about what question to ask next. The next thing he knows, time is up, and he barely got anything substantial from the interviewee.
• It offers flexibility and high customization , and may be used when interviewing different types of people. The interviewer can prepare it with the respondents in mind. For example, an interviewer may have prepared a job interview schedule for the recruitment of a construction worker or laborer. When he is tasked to interview candidates for a senior management position, he may also use the same schedule, but with several adjustments.

Disadvantages of an Interview Schedule

• It can be time-consuming. Preparation of the interview schedule can take quite a chunk of the time of an interviewer, especially if it is for an extensive or in-depth interview. Significant amounts of research must be performed in order to be able to craft good questions.
• There is a high risk that the interview and its results may suffer from the bias of the interviewer , as he is the one that will choose the questions to be asked during the interview.
• Variability may be high when the interview schedule is used by multiple interviewers. This may result to unreliable information gathered during the interviews.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW SCHEDULES

There are two major types of interview schedules or guides that are widely used by interviewers.

In-depth interview schedule

This is used for open-ended interviews, which are aimed at obtaining in-depth information, often on serious topics or sensitive issues. The questions are open-ended, with prompts provided for the interviewer to ask for clarification or further information if necessary.

The interviewee is given more room or leeway to talk about all the topics that will crop up during the interview, so he is free to use his own words and let the ideas flow out of him easily. The key characteristics of this interview schedule are listed below.

• The schedule contains indications of the interviewee’s awareness of the purpose of the interview and how long it will take.
• The questions must be crafted to provide answers relevant to the topic or issue . For example, if it is a job interview, the questions should address the matter on whether the applicant being interviewed possesses the qualifications and credentials that make him suitable for the open position. If the interview is for purposes of research or investigation, the questions should answer the main problem or topic of the research or investigation.
• All questions should be relevant , or have an impact on the purpose or objective of the interview. Remove any irrelevant questions, or those with answers that won’t be of any use to you.
• It takes the one-step-at-a-time approach , with each question meant to tackle only one issue, instead of addressing several issues all at one. This has a tendency to confuse not only the interviewee, but also the interviewer, and result in the latter losing control of the direction of the interview.
• Instead of using questions answerable with a Yes or No, the questions are open-ended , which can be used as a starting or reference point for more questions. This way, the interviewer can go deeper in getting information he needs.
• The questions are neutral , avoiding leading questions that have the potential to dictate the answer to the interviewee.

Structured interview schedule

This type of interview schedule is often compared with the format used in survey forms or questionnaires because of their similarities. The difference lies in the usage; obviously, the interview schedule is used by the interviewer during a face-to-face interaction, while the questionnaire is simply filled out by the respondent.

This interview schedule contains the questions that will be asked, and it is also where the interviewer will record the answers to those questions. Essentially, preparing an interview schedule for a structured interview is the same as preparing a questionnaire. It’s just that the questionnaire will be used solely by the interviewer, and the respondent or interviewee will not get to lay their eyes on the contents.

For more flexibility, however, some interviewers combine the features of these two types when they prepare their interview schedule. It would really be up to the interviewer, and what he deems to be most effective in achieving his objectives.

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE TEMPLATES

There is no single standard template for an interview schedule. Generally, the format will depend on the type and purpose of the interview being conducted, as well as the target respondents or interviewees. However, the interview schedule must have three major parts:

Some researchers call this stage the “warm-up”, where the objective is to create an atmosphere that will accommodate the open and free flow of ideas between the interviewer and interviewee, whether it is one-on-one or in a group.

At the start of the interview, the interviewer should welcome the interviewee and make an effort to put him at ease. If the respondent is relaxed, the interview is likely to go smoothly. The interviewer will then proceed to inform the interviewee of the following:

• Objectives of the interview. The interviewee deserves to know why the interview is taking place, and why he is involved. In case of a job interview, the applicant being interviewed already knows why he is in the same room with the HR personnel, but it should still be spelled out to him.
• The topics or points that will be discussed in the course of the interview. This is to further make the interviewee comfortable, since you are giving him something like an ‘advanced warning’ on what will be asked later on in the conversation.
• The estimated length or duration of the interview. The interviewee does not want to be kept guessing throughout the course of the interview when it will end, or if he will have to spend all morning talking to the interviewer.

The interviewee would like to feel that he will benefit in some way from this interview, so it would definitely help if you give him motivation to answer the questions properly and accurately. If you don’t, he may not be inclined to answer the questions, much less give good answers.

This part of the interview schedule may be formatted in such a way that fits the interviewer’s personality, and even that of the interviewee.

We come to the “core discussion”. This contains the meat of the interview schedule: the topics and the questions to be asked. Again, the content will depend on the topic and the type of interview. The main thing that you should never overlook is that the questions should fulfill the objective of the interview.

Instead of an interview outline, which includes only a list of topics and subtopics, a typical interview schedule also contains major questions, as well as follow-up questions designed to probe or clarify the answers to the previously asked major questions.

When preparing the body of the interview schedule, it is important to leave more than enough space where the interviewer may write down the responses or answers of the interviewee.

The interview is about to be wrapped up. The reason that it is included in the interview schedule is to ensure that the interview will not end abruptly, which may come across as rude to the interviewee.

The closing will cover the main points, in summary, that were talked about during the interview, followed by a brief discussion on the next steps that will be taken after the interview.

You may check out this template for an example of an interview schedule to be used in talking with a university classmate. This other template of a simple interview guide also provides cues on what the interviewer should say during the interview, aside from the questions that he will ask.

In some cases, an interview schedule may be so simple as to contain only the salient points, such as the purpose of the interview, the date, time and location of the conduct of the interview, and the names and contact details of both the interviewer and the interviewee. Take a look at this job interview schedule as an example.

Fortunately, there is a wealth of resources of interview schedule templates that you can find online that you can tweak and adapt to your needs.

TIPS IN PREPARING AND USING AN INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

The main concern in the preparation of an interview schedule is on the questions. What should be asked, and how should they be asked? But that is not all. Even the order or sequence of asking the questions also matters, which is why it should also be reflected on the interview schedule.

Remember the following tips when preparing the guide that you will use for the interview.

• Do not start the interview with a question probing into any personal information of the interviewee (unless the purpose of the interview is to talk about his personal life). If it’s a job interview, it would be better to get him to talk about his skills, qualifications and work experiences, since that is his comfort zone. If it is a research interview, you can start things off by asking the interviewee about his expertise in the field that you are interviewing him about. Do not ask him personal questions about his family or similar topics.
• Start with the “lighter” questions , or those that will not immediately put the interviewee or respondent on his guard. The interviewer should be able to answer the question easily, then you can move on gradually to the more sensitive or difficult topics. If you start it with a controversial question, or something that will make the interviewee uncomfortable, that will set a grim tone for the rest of the interview.
• The general rule is for you to group the questions in a logical manner . You can start with general questions, and work your way toward the specific questions later on. Of course, you may have to be flexible at times, especially when a general question must be followed by a specific question in order to clarify something.
• For variety and a more natural flow, if you are using both open-ended and closed questions, it would be a good idea to mix them up , instead of asking all the closed questions first and then the open-ended ones in the latter half of the interview. Another suggestion is to adapt the funnel or inverted funnel sequence. The funnel sequence will have you starting with open-ended questions, and gradually but naturally easing into the close-ended ones. The inverted funnel sequence orders the questions in reverse.
• Keep the respondents or interviewees in mind when preparing the questions. You should know about their background, at least, so you can prepare questions that will resonate with them. If you are going to interview candidates for a supervisory engineering position, you can frame the questions so that the candidates will be able to prove whether they are qualified for the job or not. If you are interviewing a person of interest regarding a recent incident, you should at least find out why he is considered to be a “person of interest”, so you can come up with the proper and relevant questions.
• The wording of the questions must be clear. Avoid using complicated and highly technical terms, unless you are completely sure that the interviewee is familiar with them. Try using simple language and layman’s terms to avoid confusion. Stay away from colloquial terms and jargon, especially when there are better – easier to understand – alternatives that you can use. Sentence structure is also important. Questions structured into long and run-on sentences may confuse you both, and the interviewee may miss the main point that you are asking about. As earlier mentioned, as much as possible, each question should address a single issue. Avoid placing too many questions in a single sentence, to be read in one breath.
• Provide adequate space where you can record or write the answers or responses to each question. There is an option to use a recorder during the interview, in case there are some points that you fail to record on the interview schedule. If you are going to use one, you have to inform the interviewee about it at the start of the interview, and get his consent to record the interview.
• As interviewer, you have to familiarize yourself with the interview schedule. You want the interview to flow naturally, and you definitely don’t want to sound stilted when asking the questions or, worse, as if you rehearsed it. Well, you probably have, but you don’t want to make that apparent to the interviewee. You have to exude confidence; after all, you are the one asking the questions. Once you have prepared the interview schedule, you have to know it inside out.

Comments are closed.

Related posts

7 Ways to Make Customer Service Your Best Sales Channel

Many brands consider customer service a necessary evil. It’s a cost center they’re required to have, …

Data Structure and Algorithms (DSA) Tutorial

There is no denying that the computer is one of the greatest inventions of all time. In fact, it is …

18 Tips How to Increase YouTube Subscribers

A great way to start achieving your YouTube marketing goals is to grow your followership or …

408,000 + job opportunities

Not yet a member? Sign Up

join cleverism

Find your dream job. Get on promotion fasstrack and increase tour lifetime salary.

Post your jobs & get access to millions of ambitious, well-educated talents that are going the extra mile.

First name*

Company name*

Company Website*

E-mail (work)*

Login or Register

Password reset instructions will be sent to your E-mail.

SilvanForge: A Schedule-Guided Retargetable Compiler for Decision Tree Inference

• Ashwin Prasad ,
• Sampath Rajendra ,
• Kaushik Rajan ,
• R Govindarajan ,
• Uday Bondhugula

2024 Symposium on Operating Systems Principles | November 2024

Related File

The proliferation of machine learning together with the rapid evolution of the hardware ecosystem has led to a surge in the demand for model inference on a variety of hardware. Decision tree based models are the most popular models on tabular data. This paper is motivated by the problems encountered when targeting inference of these models to run at peak performance on CPU and GPU targets. Existing solutions are neither portable nor achieve the best possible performance for the specific hardware they target.

This paper describes SilvanForge, a schedule-guided ,  retargetable  compiler for decision tree based models that searches over several optimization choices and automatically generates high-performance inference routines for CPUs and GPUs. SilvanForge has two core components. The first is a scheduling language that encapsulates the optimization space, and techniques to efficiently explore this space. The second is an optimizing retargetable compiler that can generate code for any specified schedule. SilvanForge’s ability to use different data layouts, loop structures and caching strategies enables it to achieve portable performance across a range of targets.

SilvanForge generated code is an order of magnitude faster than XGBoost and about 2-5x faster on average than RAPIDS FIL and Tahoe over several batch sizes. While these systems only target NVIDIA GPUs, SilvanForge achieves competent performance on AMD GPUs as well.

• Follow on X
• Like on Facebook
• Follow on LinkedIn
• Subscribe on Youtube
• Follow on Instagram
• Subscribe to our RSS feed

Share this page:

• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Reddit