Preparing for Field Data Collection

Guidelines

Plan field work

Field work should be planned by the Field Coordinator together with the Survey Firm or implementing partner. Important aspects of the field work, such as the overall timeline and team composition, should be specified in the Terms of Reference for the survey.

Timeline for Data collection

The following points provide a general guideline that should be kept in mind when creating a timeline for fieldwork:

• While creating a timeline for data collection, data relevant time of the year is the primary concern. For example - data on harvest should be collected after harvest season.
• Start of a survey can be planned starting backwards from the data you need to finish your survey by. However, include a significant buffer in the timeline for unforeseen delays.
• Always allow more time for a panel survey. Tracing participants from earlier survey rounds is usually time consuming.

Composition and Number of Field Teams

The composition and the number of field teams in a survey depend on a lot of variables. Time constraints are a major determinant of the number of field teams that are required. For example - surveying 5000 people in 1 month is going to need more people than surveying 10000 people in 5 years even though the first survey has less interviewees. The duration and the number of interviews that need to be conducted per day are also determine the composition and the number of field teams. Additionally, transportation between interview clusters and cluster size also affects the number of field teams required.

Field Team Roles & Responsibilities

The roles of various team members during data collection as are follows:

• Enumerator - Conduct household interviews
• Supervisor - Manage teams of enumerators, introduce survey teams, check all surveys for completeness, keep log of interviews completed, could do back check surveys
• Scrutinizer(PAPI) - read through questionnaire in detail to catch errors or inconsistencies that need to be resolved. After approval, send on to data entry team.
• Back-checker - Administer back-check surveys
• Research Analyst(CAPI) - develop electronic data collection template, export and review data on daily basis, ensure data matches field logbooks.
• Data entry coordinator(PAPI) - develop data entry forms, coordinate data entry team, export and review data on daily basis.
• Field Manager - plan and oversee field work, manage all field teams, handle logistics and budget, primary liaison with field coordinator and research team.

Define Survey Protocols

Survey Protocols define how the survey will be implemented, and ensure consistent results across field teams.

Examples include: respondent selection, criteria for dropping and replacing sampling units, guidance on respondent tracking (especially for follow-up surveys), and any other issues related to survey implementation.

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This article is part of the topic Preparing for Data Collection

Additional Resources

Brief from Oxfam: Planning Survey Research