Two Types of Data When people discuss data, they typically describe it as either quantitative or qualitative. Yet, what is quantitative data? What is qualitative data? How are these two types of data different? Is one type of data better to use than the other? Why should this topic matter to nonprofit professionals? This blog …
So you are excited to begin collecting quality data for your organization. That’s great! The information you collect has the power to demonstrate your impact, inform decisions, and improve your programs. Yet, what do you need to ask yourself before you get started? There are a number of methods to collect quality data. Some data …
When organizations collect poor data, they get poor results. Too often, I’ve seen examples of bad surveys, forms, and questionnaires that at best contain some useful information and at worst generate meaningless information. What’s the point of collecting data when it is incomplete, inaccurate, and riddled with error? How can organizations make good decisions when …
After writing my last blog post, I realized that it may still be difficult to determine which online articles represent fact or fluff. So, I created an article credibility checklist! This tool is designed to measure the credibility of articles that discuss findings from research studies. By using this tool, you should be able to …
When I first began college, I thought that most of the information I found online was credible – especially when the author described findings from a research study. I assumed that if something were presented in the media using phrases like “researchers report that…” or “study finds that…”, it was true. What I learned over …
Identifying Quality Information in a Quantity World Read More »
Time has been on my mind a lot lately. My last post Getting Things Done focused on strategies to relax your mind so you can be more productive. This post provides some great advice I received when I was in graduate school that changed the way I manage and organize my time. Early in my …
Time is limited As you read this post, there are probably dozens of things you could, should, and wish you were doing for time management. There seems to be this endless flow of information, obligations, and unexpected events that pull us in multiple directions. Life can be overwhelming and the boundary between your work life …
I am a researcher, evaluator, and consultant trained in the academic world. I spent years of my life learning the language of research and evaluation, and I’ve read through more empirical studies and manuscripts than I can recall. The purpose of this blog is to demystify various research and evaluation topics and findings. These blog …
