About

(1.0 to 3.0)

Traditional secondary research is compiling data from known archival sources, it is akin to the steps you would take when writing an essay in school. 

Version 1.0 was hard copy or electronic records usually in libraries.
Version 2.0 is secondary research online (can I Google that for you?)
Version 3.0 is the semantic web.

 Now we have the growing use of semantic software to scrap or data mine the web and glean insights through "smart" interpretation. Semantic software is used to conduct secondary research on steroids. The quantity of data online is so vast that no one can process it. But it is no magic bullet, like archival research of the past, this is merely collecting, classifying, and intrepeting that which already exists.

Surveys, however executed, are primary research, the creation of NEW data that for the moment at least is yours alone (see data collection, full & assisted service).

 Dufferin Research can assist in helping you choose when primary quantitative research is best, when you need secondary research, and if you do, which type. 

We can also advise you when qualitative research may be better suited to your needs, and if a hybrid methodology would be best, and then of course we can conduct the research needed.

Our roots

Dufferin Research had been specializing in online survey programming and the hosting of both stand alone custom research projects and continuous tracking studies for more than a decade. The firm was established was in 2000 to provide these specialized services to smaller Market Research firms and consultants. Dufferin Research now deals with a wide range of clientele from international research organizations, to direct research buyers and users from global, national and local businesses and organizations (including NFP), in addition to our original target market.

When we started online research it the industry was in it's infancy. If you were online, dial-up access was the norm and rich media referred to the television networks. Fast forward a decade and internet based research is now the dominant data collection methodology globally. Rich media, in the form of video, audio and high resolution graphics are the norm, broadband access is the norm. The new frontiers are in mobile computing and semantic technologies.

The data collection services at Dufferin Research follow best practice principles just not available if you wish to D-I-Y program in an ad hoc fashion. The data is collected and stored within Canada. We can certify where the data physically is stored, where the backup copies are, who has had access, moreover we can destroy any and all copies on request. Data stored in a cloud computing environment with head offices in foreign countries can offer no such guarantees.

Data collection

Dufferin Research provides cost-effective, reliable services that include superior technical skills, excellent project management and have the sort of robust & secure infrastructure needed to succeed in this business. For further technical details see our capabilities page. But while we love the beauty of automation, and are masters of many programming languages, we still view ourselves first & foremost as a service company.

We are 100% client focused. Your needs are what drive us. It's what we do. This philosophy has a price. Service does not scale like technology, so we have come to terms with, and embrace the fact that we will remain a fairly small company, simply because what we do cannot be replicated on a large scale cost effectively. Hands on, means hands on.

Full service

Over the past few years, Dufferin Research has been moving towards providing an additional range of services. In addition to the traditional quantitative online data collection, we provide a full range of services typical found in a full service market research firm. If the area of expertise exists in-house, we will provide end to end research from the consultative process up front to define your needs and the project scope, project & questionnaire design, to the analysis and delivery of the results.

Should we feel your project requires it, we will collaborate with our network of partners to provide the solution that best suits your needs and your budget. We are experts in quantitative methods but work with qualitative researchers when the numbers alone may not tell the whole story.

Your needs are very likely unique, so an out of the box solution is unlikely to be the best one for you. We will turn the data into intelligence and will engage in whatever research methodology is required to do this. Unless you can take the results of a research project and make an informed business decision based on the results, the exercise has been futile.

Assisted service

Being typically Canadian, we can compromise to reach a solution that meets your needs.

There is a middle ground between D-I-Y projects and full service, that is more than data collection only. Starting with our Research Rabbit product (for employee satifaction and engagement surveys) we developed a series of products where the client makes some of the design decisions alone within the software framework, then we evaluate, and execute the data collection and report the findings using a templated reporting structure that minimizes our labour thus lowers the cost for the user.

You do a bit more, you get a lot more, and you pay less.

Secondary research (1.0 to 3.0)

Traditional secondary research is compiling data from known archival sources, it's akin to the work done for essay when you went to school.

Version 1.0 was hard copy or electronic records usually in libraries.
Version 2.0 is secondary research online (can I Google that for you?)
Version 3.0 is the semantic web.

Now we have the growing use of semantic software to scrap or data mine the web & glean insights through "smart" interpretation. Semantic software is used to conduct secondary research on steroids. The quantity of data online is so vast that no one can process it. But is is no magic bullet, like archival research of the past, this is merely collecting, classifying, and interpreting that which already exists.

Your needs

Surveys, however executed, are primary research, the creation of NEW data that for the moment at least is yours alone (see data collection, full & assisted service).

Dufferin Research can assist in helping you choose when primary quantitative research is best, when you need secondary research and if you do, which type.

We can also advise you when qualitative research may be better suited to your needs, and if a hybrid methodology would be best, and then of course we can conduct the research needed.

The Advantages of Online Primary Research

• Speed
  Surveys can be completed in days, sometimes within hours of emailing invitations.

• Larger sample sizes for very little extra cost
  Unlike a telephone survey which is very labour intensive, a web survey has a fixed labour cost. The cost of programming the survey and delivering the agreed upon final product is largely unaffected by sample size. Costs only rise with the sample size for three components.

  • Purchased access panel sample
  • Length of time in field
  • Coding open ended questions

Sampling Issues in Internet Research

• Representativeness of the sample

  All sampling methodologies have some limitations preventing them from being 100% representative of any given population. Just as telephone studies have limitations due to the problem of unlisted numbers and cellular phones, and mailout surveys have problems such as restricted access buildings and bad mailing addresses, internet surveys also have limitations.

  You can only claim to represent those who have access to the Internet either at home, at work or from some other location. However the last Statscan survey shows around 80% of people 16+ in Canada are online.

  Online studies are representative of populations of online users or subpopulations of Internet Users. Using internet based studies is often viewed as appropriate for populations perceived to be hi-tech users or in many business-to-business studies, as these populations will likely be Internet users.

  Online stuides cannot and likely will never be able to claim to represent the entire country's population, or all adults 35-50 years of age, or any other population that may have a significant proportion of non-Internet users. However, similar things can be said of all methodologies.

Solutions to the Sampling Issues

• Combined methodologies

  Dufferinn Research can combine CATI, Self-Completed Mail and Web methodologies thereby passing on the speed and cost savings of Internet Research for those respondents with Internet access and still offer the option to do a telephone survey or self-completed mail survey. This type of survey, if designed properly, can be considered representative of the entire population.

• Use Internet surveys for appropriate populations

  Internet research is not a replacement for all other methods of surveys. It is appropriate for many studies but not all. We can advise you on the appropriateness of this methodology on a study by study basis.