research that involves interviewing or administering questionnaires to large numbers of people.

A type of study that uses phone questions, mailed questions, interviews, or self-completed forms, and that does not use the “experimental method.” – See “technical assistance.

This is the systematic gathering of information about individuals and collectivities, using interview, questionnaire or response methods to elicit information directly, and interpreting the resulting data by means of statistical analysis. It provides and alternative to the experimental method or participant observation and is widely used in both qualitative and quantitative research.