Welcome
Webpage last modified: 2009-Mar-03
Welcome to the Cross-Cultural Survey Guidelines.
The number and scope of studies covering many cultures, languages, nations, or regions have increased significantly over the past decade. This has led to a growing need to provide information on best practices across the multiple phases of cross-cultural survey design and administration to ensure the collection of high quality comparative data. However, there is very little published material on the details of implementing surveys that are specifically designed for comparative research, including what aspects need to be standardized and when local adaptation is appropriate. The Comparative Survey Design and Implementation (CSDI) Guidelines Initiative was designed to address this gap. Specifically, the aim of the Initiative was to develop and promote internationally recognized guidelines that highlight best practice for the conduct of comparative survey research across cultures and countries. The intended audience for the Guidelines includes researchers and survey practitioners planning or engaged in cross-cultural or cross-national research.
The Cross-Cultural Survey Guidelines are based on (1) survey methods, cross-cultural, and comparative literatures, (2) published study-specific manuals and other documents, and (3) authors' and reviewers’ experiences with numerous comparative surveys. Best practices are dynamic and are expected to evolve over time. As more comparative surveys are conducted, we hope to incorporate the lessons learned from these studies into the Guidelines. New methodological research will also inform modifications to the Guidelines. To that end, we very much welcome your comments, suggestions, and additions: Contact Us.
For assistance in using the Cross-Cultural Survey Guidelines, please consult the User Guide. Here you will find instructions on how to search the Guidelines, use links to navigate through the website, and print the full Guidelines and/or individual chapters.
© 2008 The authors of the Guidelines hold the copyright. Please contact us if you wish to publish any of this material in any form.