Data Quality & Standards

Data Quality & Standards

Let’s not accept poor data quality as the norm. 
Meet the data quality challenge with Insights Association.

The cornerstone of the insights and analytics industry's success is data quality, defined as a measure of the condition of data based on factors such as accuracy, completeness, consistency, reliability, and how up-to-date it is. Poor data quality interferes with our industry's ability to inform smart marketing decisions. According to a 2023 Insights Association member survey on data fraud, an aspect of data quality:

  • 63% Accept some level of fraud as part of conducting market research studies
  • 64% Have had a project delayed or negatively impacted by fraud
  • 56% Claim their decision-making has been impacted by fraud

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Our approach to improving data quality and data integrity

Improving and adopting protection measures against poor data quality requires cross-collaboration, the development of innovative approaches to data collection, validation, and analysis, and the setting of new standards for excellence. The path to this includes:

  • Partnerships. Facilitated by Insights Association's Council for Data Integrity and the cross-association initiative, Global Data Quality, the development and adoption of collective solutions with the insights and analytics industry.
  • Education. Ongoing education and provision of tools and frameworks on data quality, management, and ethics. Additionally, raising awareness that data quality is the responsibility of all, not any one company type, function, methodology, and across the insights cycle.
  • Language. Encouraging the adoption of consistent industry language to help provide more clarity on where data quality problems exist and solutions.
  • Benchmarks. Defining data quality and fraud standards quantitatively so the industry and individual companies can track performance on a level playing field.

Two workgroups collaborating to achieve better data quality industry-wide

Council for Data Integrity

Led by Insights Association member industry leaders and experts, the Council for Data Integrity (CDI) follows the continual evolution of sample and data integrity definitions, quality standards, evaluation processes, and industry education. Founded in 2021, the CDI develops educational content, best practices, and guidelines for the insights and analytics industry. The CDI also acts as the U.S. extension of the Global Data Quality initiative, a partnership of global associations.

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Global Data Quality initiative

Established by the Insights Association, our organization is coordinating efforts with the Association for Qualitative Research (AQR), Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), ESOMAR, Global Business Research Network (GRBN), Intellus Worldwide, International Association for Measurement and Evaluation Communication (AMEC), MRS (Market Research Society), QRCA, SampleCon, The Research Society (TRS), and The Association of Market Research Austria (VMÖ) to address ongoing and emerging risks to data quality in the market and social research, consumer insights and analytics industry. 

Website

Initiatives & Resources

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Resource Library

Reports, toolkits, webinars and more that provide actionable insights for every research professional across the research cycle.

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Data Quality Glossary

The Data Quality Glossary is the authoritative dictionary of terms in the insights & analytics industry. 

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Data Quality Excellence Pledge

Join hundreds of companies globally who have publicly committed to a set of practices and standards that signal they uphold the highest standards of data quality in every aspect of their work.


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Data Quality
Benchmarks

The Data Quality Benchmarks project defines and monitors what "good" data quality looks like in the insights & analytics industry. Submit your company's data to this tracking study for access to exclusive results.


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Participant Bill of Rights

The Participant Bill of Rights is a list of fundamental rules of engagement that people should expect when participating in research studies. Adhering to these rights can help reverse continued distrust and mistrust in the insights & analytics industry.

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Data Quality Courses

'Mitigating Fraud in Data Quality' will be the first of a series of courses diving deep into key subjects that are key to success in the insights & analytics industry across every role and the research journey. 

Launching Soon


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CIRQ

Become certified to the ISO standards designated applicable to the insights & analytics industry as a pathway to increasing data quality across the project lifecycle.


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Data Quality Slack Channel

Join Insights Association members in an ongoing, active discourse on all things research quality. 


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