Welcome to the Worldwide Survey Research Catalog. This page is a comprehensive set on links to external resources about survey research designed and maintained by the Program on Survey Research (PSR) at Harvard University.
The PSR Survey Toolbox is a set of tools developed by the PSR to help with different aspects of survey research. Surveys: An Overview provides a set of guides maintained by other organizations and individuals which are designed to help you learn about specific parts of the survey research process. Harvard affiliates might also want to look at PSR Resources and Tips, which details some of the resources available for Harvard affiliates.
Surveys are a prominent research method in government, academia, the media, and the private sector. A variety of professional organizations provide research and guidance on the survey research process. Many of these organizations and others have developed professional standards to improve the quality of survey data.
The Program on Survey Research at Harvard is engaged actively in research and education involving survey quality. See Professional Standards and Professional Organizations.
Many surveys are available to the general public, or to students and researchers conducting general research in the social sciences. Data archives maintain, preserve, and distribute survey data to the public or other special communities. There are a variety of public polls conducted by the media and professional organizations. Academic and commercial survey centers also conduct surveys on behalf of individuals and organizations.
There are a variety of academic programs, certificates, and degrees which specialize in survey research. There are also summer institutes which provide training in survey methods. Many private companies provide training to professionals who need to use and understand survey research in their work. Some survey researchers and pollsters maintain blogs which talk about survey methods and readings. Professional journals, books, and conferences provide a way to learn about survey research and keep up with emerging trends.
See Outside Training and Events for information about other resources and activities. Also see the following resources for PSR-related information:
Many on-line guides provide further information about the survey research process. The PSR Survey Toolbox also provides overview and specialized materials focused on survey research.
Published quality standards include those listed here.
The following professional organizations are concerned about survey quality.
Different Harvard libraries have put together guides to survey and statistical data resources available to Harvard affiliates.
These resources comprise information from major longitudinal studies.
Online archives and other centers provide datasets from many existing surveys. In some cases, an institutional subscription is required to access this data while in others this data is freely available to all.
Harvard researchers who wish to explore survey education further can also pursue training opportunities at summer institutes and other short courses.
Other centers and programs at Harvard often use survey data as the focus of research or programming.
These books, many of which are available in our library, can help you learn more about survey research.
Several professional journals focus on survey research.
Several blogs are available that might be of interest to survey professionals.
There are a variety of places Harvard researchers can look for funding to conduct surveys.
Most survey research conducted at Harvard needs to be reviewed by an institutional review board.
The Program on Survey Research at IQSS. 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA. USA. (617) 496-2450
© 2003-2009 President & Fellows Harvard University. The Program on Survey Research is a program of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science. Policies.