The Rigors of Good Research: Three Examples from Thought Leadership
One of the biggest challenges Versta Research faced during the first year of COVID-19 was a huge and puzzling spike in the amount of fraud on research panels. We saw many organizations falling victim to this fraud. There were obviously false studies with absurdly sensational headlines being published by the media and in scientific journals. They claimed that a third of Americans were drinking bleach to ward off COVID, and other such nonsense.
It was upsetting to see good organizations, known for their thought leadership, sponsoring, distributing, and publishing this fraud. They let their guard down, and of course it made us wonder about the internal strategic research they were doing, as well — you know, the stuff that drives their business decisions. It is painful to think about.
Soon we’ll be writing more about this fraud. But for the Versta Research Spring Newsletter we start with the most important thing a researcher must do: Focus on the fundamentals of what makes for rigorous research worthy of being shared with one’s managers and with the public.
We showcase three rigorous studies from client organizations we helped design and execute over the last several months:
- A study about mental health and behavioral health in the workplace, commissioned by The Standard Insurance Company. It is a two-wave study that documents significant changes among employed Americans from their pre-pandemic levels of mental health.
- Surveys commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Association to document race and ethnic disparities in Alzheimer’s healthcare. The study involved two surveys: One of all U.S. adults, and another of U.S. caregivers.
- A study on behalf of Wells Fargo that focused on multiple ways women are experiencing and taking the lead in navigating their households through uncertainty during this year’s pandemic.
With each of these studies having been widely shared and cited, we share them with you in our most recent (and just published) newsletter. Versta Research is proud of the effort put into making these studies robust, authentic, and true.
—Joe Hopper, Ph.D.
