Statistical Standards Program
Table of Contents Introduction 1. Development of Concepts and Methods 2. Planning and Design of Surveys 3. Collection of Data 3-1 Coverage for Frames and Samples 3-2 Achieving Acceptable Response Rates 3-3 Monitoring and Documenting Survey Contracts 3-4 Documenting a Survey System 4. Processing and Editing of Data 5. Analysis of Data / Production of Estimates or Projections 6. Establishment of Review Procedures 7. Dissemination of Data Glossary Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Download PDF (448KB) For help viewing PDF files, please click here |
COLLECTION OF DATA |
SUBJECT: DOCUMENTING A SURVEY SYSTEM NCES STANDARD: 3-4 PURPOSE: To ensure that complete documentation is kept on NCES surveys and survey systems and their associated contract deliverables. Documentation includes those materials necessary to understand how to properly analyze data from each survey, as well as the information necessary to replicate and evaluate each survey. In addition, survey system documentation includes information necessary to design and estimate resource requirements of future similar surveys. KEY TERMS: coverage, edit, frame, imputation, instrument, nonsampling error, public-use data file, response rate, sampling error, strata, survey system, and variance.
GUIDELINE 3-4-1A: If the data are collected through a Web-based collection or through a CATI or CAPI interview, the following information should be included in the documentation of the final instruments: STANDARD 3-4-2: To insure that a survey can be replicated and properly evaluated,
the survey system documentation must, at a minimum, include the following:
GUIDELINE 3-4-2A: The survey system documentation should also include the following: GUIDELINE 3-4-2B: Where appropriate, methods for bounding or estimating the nonsampling error from each source identified in the evaluation plan should be developed and implemented. GUIDELINE 3-4-2C: Where possible, nonsampling error estimates and bounds should make use of data from other surveys or from administrative records or censuses, taking into account the limitations of the external data. GUIDELINE 3-4-2D: For recurring surveys, a quality profile report that itemizes all sources of identified error should be produced. Where possible, estimates or bounds on the magnitudes of these errors should be provided; the total error model for the survey should be discussed; and the survey should be assessed in terms of this model.
STANDARD 3-4-4: At a minimum, survey documentation must be stored electronically in a format that can be viewed without proprietary software. Final data sets shall be stored in ASCII format. Additional copies in other formats are allowed, but ASCII versions are required. In addition, substantive reports written to release the data shall also be stored, at a minimum, in the format originally used to produce the report, and PDF or ASCII (see Standard 7-1).
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