From CRMDA
FAQs
1. Q: What services are offered by the CRMDA?
A: The Center provides advice on a wide variety of topics ranging from choosing research design to analyzing data and interpreting results. Although our primary emphasis is on statistical methodology, we do provide, at some level, advice on almost all research-related activities. For more details please refer to our services link. Services Provided
2. Q: How do I make an appointment?
A: For best results, call us at (785)864-3353, or e-mail us at quant@ku.edu. Walk-ins are also welcome. (link to CRMDA page with “Request an Appointment” form)
3. Q: What are your consulting hours?
A: The CRMDA is open from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Friday while school is in session. Appointments are welcome when school is not in session.
4. Q: Where are you located?
A: The CRMDA is located on the fourth floor of Watson Library in room 470.
5. Q: Does the CRMDA provide computer assistance?
A: The general answer is yes, but there are qualifications. The significant word here is "statistical". The CRMDA will provide assistance with the use of statistical computer software, but we do not provide assistance with more general computer software, such as operating systems, word-processing programs, and spreadsheets.
6. Q: What should I expect during the Intake Session?
A: You will meet with one of the CRMDA’s Intake Specialists who will aid you in the completion of the Statistical Consultation Agreement Form. The information (i.e. Name, Project Name, Department, Description of Problem, etc.) gathered from the Statistical Consultation Form will allow us to better match your needs with one of our consultants. If the project you are seeking assistance on is a thesis or dissertation you will also need to complete the Dissertation and Thesis Approval Form, in which an advisor’s signature/consent is necessary before the CRMDA can begin consultation.
7. Q: What information will be useful to my consultant for our Initial Consultation?
What to bring to first Consultation
8. Q: How much statistics will I need to know?
A: We expect our clients to have a working knowledge of some basic statistical methods (and/or a willingness to learn). What you may need to know (or learn about) will depend on what questions you would like your research to answer. Our consultants will help you explore your options during your Intake Session.
9. Q: What if I need more help after the first session?
A: Many clients have their questions answered completely in their first consultation, but sometimes more contact is required. Frequently, a consultant must do work outside of the consulting sessions to answer a client's questions.
10. Q: Do you charge fees for consulting?
A: Fee Structure
11. Q: Can I get help with my course work?
A: We do not help with course work. For help with your course work, please contact your class Teaching Assistant, Professor, or Tutoring Services KU Tutoring
12. Q: Can I get help with thesis and dissertation research?
A: Many of our clients are students undertaking thesis and dissertation research. It is appropriate for a consultant to discuss with a student alternative forms of analysis that may be suitable for his or her research; to render advice about which of several forms of analysis might be best; to help a student correct a computer-program setup; or to help a student to interpret the output from a statistical computer program. Because coordination of advice is often important, we expect that a student's advisor give written consent and that the supervisory committee is aware of the help provided to the student by the CRMDA. This is accomplished by filling out the Dissertation and Thesis Approval Form.
13. Q: What sorts of assistance are inappropriate?
A: Although there is a large grey area demarcating activities that are clearly appropriate from those that are clearly inappropriate, it is generally not proper for a consultant to: make decisions about how a student should analyze his/her data; analyze the student's data; or write computer-program setups for the student. We realize that at times a consultant may need to examine a student's data, and that students may require relatively more assistance with forms of statistical analysis that are unusual or difficult. We have a wider latitude in assisting faculty and staff with their research. Alternatively, consultants at the CRMDA may help a research assistant to carry out statistical analyses for a faculty member. We find that it is often useful for both the faculty member and the assistant to attend the consultation.
14. Q: How should I acknowledge help received?
A: You may acknowledge our assistance in the usual manner if and when your research is published. A typical acknowledgment might read as follows: "The authors are grateful for statistical support provided by the University of Kansas’s Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis." We would appreciate receiving copies of research that has benefitted from our assistance because documentation of the fruits of our labor is useful to us in renewing our funding. In instances in which a consultant's contribution has been central to a project, you may consider offering co-authorship.
15. Q: How much time will the consultant spend on my project?
A: An allotment of 20 units (one unit = 15 minutes) per project is able to be utilized, after which it is at the discretion of the consultant whether or not to continue. Units are used when consultants spend time on your specific project whether that is face-to-face meetings, e-mail consultations or if additional work is required (i.e. gathering materials, consulting with other CRMDA personnel, etc.).
16. Q: When should a CRMDA consultant be a co-author?
A: From the APA manual fifth edition:
“Authorship encompasses … not only those who do the actual writing but also those who have made substantial scientific contributions to a study. Substantial professional contributions may include formulating the problem or hypothesis, structuring the experimental design, organizing and conducting the statistical analysis, interpreting the results, or writing a major portion of the paper”
17. Q: Does paying CRMDA from a research grant nullify a case for co-authorship?
A: No, payment and co-authorship are separate and unrelated concerns. CRMDA provides free statistical support to KU's research community to the extent that its budget allows. More extensive support requires compensation from other sources. The case for or against co-authorship for a CRMDA consultant does not depend on the source of compensation. Just as a KU faculty member who draws summer support from a research grant authors papers related to that grant, so may a CRMDA consultant.