Upgrade for Research Quality Standard

The BSI has launched a revised version of its international standard for market and social research - BS ISO 20252 - to reflect the impact of new technologies on research methods, including online and mobile as well as the increasing use of panels.

The BSI (British Standards Institution) launched BS ISO 20252 in 2006, in a bid to enable cross-border/multi-country studies to be carried out with the assurance that working procedures are compatible. The newly updated BS ISO 20252:2012 Market, Opinion and Social Research - Vocabulary and Service Requirements has been developed to provide a common language for researchers, and set a benchmark for quality assurance and effective research practice. It has been developed in co-operation with the Market Research Society (MRS), the Market Research Quality Standards Association (MRQSA), and other research suppliers and agencies.

The standard makes provision for quant and qual research, including self-completion and observational data collection, both online and off-line. Good data management and processing practice is defined through coding, analysis, document retention and security, and guidance on the recruitment and training of fieldworkers is also included.

Richard Windle (pictured) of MRQSA welcomed the revisions, saying: 'Technology is changing every part of our business and it is vital that the standard has been updated to reflect this. As new methods of data collection are developed quality must remain at the heart of what we do. BS ISO 20252:2012 will underpin the way we work today and in the future.'

An accompanying book called 'Quality in Market Research' has been written by researchers Debrah Harding and Peter Jackson to offer practical tips, examples, models, checklists and guidance for implementation.

Web site: www.bsigroup.com .