In the world of research, there is a golden rule: “Garbage In, Garbage Out.”
You can have the most advanced statistical software (SPSS, R, Python). You can have a brilliant hypothesis. But if the raw data entering your model is flawed, your results will be worthless.
One of the biggest “dirty secrets” in the Indian market research industry is Data Falsification. Unethical field agents, pressured by low fees and tight deadlines, often sit in a coffee shop and fill out hundreds of survey forms themselves. This is called “Curb-stoning,” and it happens more often than you think.
At McKinley Research, we treat Data Quality as a religion. We don’t just “collect” data; we validate it. Here is how we ensure that every response in your dataset comes from a real person.
1. The “GPS” Truth Serum
Paper forms are dangerous because you never know where they were filled.
- Our Solution: We use Digital Data Collection (CAPI) on tablets and mobiles. Every single response is GPS-tagged. If a surveyor claims to be interviewing a farmer in a village, but the GPS coordinates show they are in a city center, our system flags it instantly.
2. The “30% Back-Check” Rule
Trust is good, but verification is better.
- Our Solution: As per our strict Quality Management protocols, our Quality Control (QC) team re-contacts 30% of the respondents via phone. We ask simple verification questions: “Did someone visit you yesterday?” “Did they ask about [Topic X]?” If the respondent says No, we scrap the entire batch from that surveyor.
3. Audio Audits
Sometimes, a surveyor might ask the question but record the answer they want to hear.
- Our Solution: Our digital tools record random snippets of the interview audio. Our analysts listen to these clips to ensure the surveyor is asking the questions correctly and not leading the respondent.
4. Logic Checks (The “Trap” Questions)
Fake data often looks “too perfect.”
- Our Solution: We program “Logic Traps” into the questionnaire. For example, if a respondent says they are “Unemployed” in Q1 but says their “Office Commute” is 30 minutes in Q10, the system alerts us to the contradiction.
5. Training vs. Outsourcing
Many agencies hire daily wage freelancers who have no idea what your PhD or Business goals are.
- Our Solution: We have a compulsory formal training process. We brief our enumerators on the specific nuances of your study before they step into the field.
Conclusion
Whether you are a PhD scholar defending a thesis or a CEO making a million-dollar market entry decision, you cannot afford to base your future on fake data.
Don’t pay for “filled forms.” Pay for Truth.
