Collaborate with CCQDER

At a glance

  • The Collaborating Center for Questionnaire Design and Evaluation Research (CCQDER) works with internal and external groups and partners to evaluate their survey questions.
  • Most CCQDER projects follow a seven-step process.
  • Project size and complexity affect how long each step takes.
A person answering survey questions on a laptop.

Working with CCQDER

The Collaborating Center for Questionnaire Design and Evaluation Research (CCQDER) works with internal and external partners to help develop and evaluate survey questions. These partners include—

Contact us‎

For more information about working with us, contact our CCQDER Operations Team.

Project process

Most CCQDER projects use cognitive interviews to evaluate questions. Cognitive interviewing projects generally follow this seven-step process.

The time required for each step varies depending on several factors, including the project's size and complexity.

Step 1: Request

A program contacts CCQDER to request help with a question evaluation project. Before any project work can begin, CCQDER and the requesting program create an agreement that outlines project details.

Step 2: Clearance

CCQDER staff develop clearance packages for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). and for CDC's Institutional Review Board (IRB) that reviews and approves all research involving human subjects. These packages will include all project details.

Step 3: Recruitment

CCQDER staff design and carry out a plan to recruit and screen respondents. CCQDER screens respondents to ensure that they meet all study requirements.

Step 4: Interviewing

CCQDER staff conduct in-depth cognitive interviews with respondents.

Step 5: Analysis

CCQDER staff analyze interview data using a software tool called Q-Notes. CCQDER developed Q-Notes to support data management and analysis of cognitive interview data. Using Q-Notes, staff can conduct a fast, thorough, and systematic analysis of data to identify patterns in respondents' interpretations of each question. Q-Notes also helps to identify whether different groups of respondents have interpreted questions differently.

Step 6: Documentation

CCQDER staff write a final project report about findings from their analysis of the interview data. The report also includes a description of the methods used. All findings are supported by empirical evidence directly observed during the interviews. This ensures research transparency and accountability.

Step 7: Publication

All final reports are submitted to Q-Bank, an online database for cognitive interviewing and other question evaluation reports. Everyone can access Q-Bank, including other researchers, other federal statistical agencies, and the public.

Resources

Featured projects

Learn about previous CCQDER projects.

CCQDER products

Discover products created and used by CCQDER, including Q-Bank, Q-Notes and Q-Video.