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College Client Services Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What research services does the Research & Evaluation Bureau provide?

A. The Bureau provides a wide range of research services for EHHS faculty and EHHS graduate students at dissertation and thesis level. Services include consultation regarding the following: research and/or statistical design, survey development, online survey data collection, quantitative database development, quantitative data analysis, and quantitative data interpretation. In addition, the Bureau services include online survey layout, quantitative and qualitative data entry, and qualitative data transcription services.

Q. Can I receive Bureau services if my research is unfunded or if I am a student?

A. Yes! The College provides Bureau services at no cost for unfunded EHHS faculty research and for EHHS graduate students working on dissertations or theses.

Q. What if my work is funded, such as through a grant?

A. The Bureau provides research services to a wide variety of funded projects. For grant-funded work, the Bureau collaborates with the project's primary investigator to determine a research scope of work and budget; after which Bureau services are charged to the related grant index. Most often this occurs when the Bureau serves as the grant evaluation/research team on a funded project. In the case of program evaluation, the Bureau is often considered to be an external evaluator by a grantor, even for grants awarded to Kent State.

Q. Can I get Bureau services on grant proposals prior to grant submission and award?

A. Yes. The Bureau collaborates with faculty pursuing extramural funding by developing and writing evaluation and/or research plans for grant proposals, with the understanding that the Bureau will provide said services in the event of a funding award.

Q. How many hours of college-supported Bureau service am I entitled to?

A. Current EHHS faculty are entitled to an unlimited number of hours of Bureau service for unfunded research.

Q. Do EHHS graduate students at dissertation or thesis level receive services from the Bureau at no cost?

A. Yes; graduate students working on dissertations or theses receive 40 hours of Bureau consultation services and an additional 40 hours of data lab services (not to be interchanged) at no cost. Additional hours of service are available according to the Bureau's current fee structure. Students are typically asked to have their dissertation or thesis advisor accompany him or her to the first Bureau consulting session.

Q. Do audio tapes/files need to be in a particular format in order to be transcribed by the Bureau Data Lab?

A. The Bureau Data Lab accepts audio files in mp3 or mp4 format. All files, whether audio or transcriptions, are transferred between the Bureau and clients using SharePoint, which is available through Microsoft Teams. The Bureau will provide the necessary SharePoint links for all secure file transfer purposes.

Q. How long does it take to transcribe audio files?

A. It typically takes eight hours of transcription labor to transcribe every hour of audio. To accommodate all requests for transcriptions in a timely manner, the Bureau transcription queue operates on a rotating basis. In this process, transcriptionists work on one client's files for approximately 20 hours (which is about three hours of an audio recording), then rotate to the next file in the queue, and so on. For that reason, it is a good idea to prioritize your files in the order in which you would like them transcribed.

Q. Does the Bureau lend equipment, such as tapes or recorders?

A. No.

Q. Does the Bureau transcribe video?

A. Yes. Video files can be transcribed if compatible with the Bureau's ExpressScribeâ„¢ software. Only audio portions of the video are transcribed, and notations and/or comments regarding the video content are not provided.

Q. Do I need to have IRB approval to receive Bureau services?

A. Yes. Clients will be asked to provide the Bureau with a copy of the IRB official approval letter/e-mail prior to the processing of any data.

Q. Does the Bureau provide qualitative data analysis services?

A. No.