ABSTRACT
The primary purpose of collecting and analyzing data in academic and scientific research is to support the process of intellectual discovery (Hitt, 2009). Nonetheless, data gathering and data analysis are oftentimes collective actions conducted by multiple units or partners located in different geographical locations that design their own research and conduct their own empirical investigation. This process frequently produces a collection of data, analyses, and results that are not comparable to each other for the different methodological assumptions, as well as the way the process of investigation is run. Conversely, one of the aims of scientific research is to collect data that allow the comparison of different studies and different contexts so as to advance the knowledge on the particular issue under investigation. In fact, data collection and analysis is an ongoing, continuous cycle of intellectual discovery, learning, and inquiry that allows the refinement of ideas so as to have the potential to transform the knowledge and understanding of a specific issue. The specific tool that supports the research process and the opportunity to compare academics and scientific research is, as mentioned earlier, the data collection protocol.
