ABSTRACT
Surveying research participants seems to be a straightforward task: think about what you want to do (definition of research problem and scope) and sketch up a questionnaire (selection of appropriate research method). Then ask people to fill it out, enter the data in a suitable statistical program (collection and preparation of data), crunch the numbers to find out what you want to know (analysis of data) . . . hopefully this matches your initial thinking . . . and then publish the results (transformation of analysis into information; see Hair et al. 2006; 2008). We believe that most researchers are used to this or a similar process and have experienced it themselves. If you are not familiar with it (any more), you can consult various sources which discuss the appropriate methods (e.g. Walle 1997), will help you follow the right steps (e.g. Finn et al. 2000; Hair et al. 2006, 2008) and even provide you with practical guidance (e.g. Veal 1992). Following the standard approach we planned our research project, designed our questionnaire and tried to collect data.
