Frequently asked questions: reporting of research results

A market research agency has recently completed a project for a client. The researcher has learnt that the results of the study appear in a press release (which has subsequently appeared in the press) that states the correct figures from the report but presents them in a misleading way. Can and should the researcher query these differences with the client?

The dissemination of conclusions from a marketing research project is the subject of rules B49 to B61. B49 of the Code states that researchers must not knowingly allow the dissemination of conclusions from a market research project, which are not adequately supported by the data. B59 provides that members must take reasonable steps to check and where necessary amend any client-prepared materials prior to publication to ensure that the published research results will not be incorrectly or misleadingly reported. Under B60, members must take reasonable steps to ensure that findings from a research project, published by themselves or in their employer’s name, are not incorrectly or misleadingly presented. Further B61 states that if members are aware, or ought reasonably to be aware, that findings from a research project have been incorrectly or misleadingly reported by a client he/she must at the earliest opportunity refuse permission for the client to use their name further in connection with the incorrect or misleading published findings and publish in an appropriate forum the relevant technical details of the project to correct any incorrect or misleading reporting. In addition A7 states that members must take reasonable steps to ensure that others do not breach or cause a breach of this Code. This, of course, includes clients.

Thus, the Code makes it clear that researchers who are aware of a prima facie case of misrepresentation of research conclusions; ie between the results of a survey and the conclusions drawn from those contents, have obligations under these rules, to bring this matter to the client's urgent attention and to seek and obtain, either a fully satisfactory explanation or justification of these differences or the withdrawal of the misleading documentation and its substitution by one which properly reflects the content of the project. To omit raising these issues with the client would imply the market research agency's collusion with the client to distort the views of the respondents, which would damage not only the market research agency's reputation but that of the entire market research profession.

See: MRS Code of Conduct: Rules B49 to B61

A third party wishes to query aspects of research the agency did for a client and has requested copies of the questionnaire, which the client prefers the agency not to release. B50 says that members must comply with reasonable requests to make available to anyone the technical information necessary to assess the validity of any published findings from a research project, while the contract between the client and the agency says that the questionnaire is the property of the client who pays for its development. How is Rule B50 to be applied?

If an agency's methodological competence has been questioned, that agency has the right, if not the duty, to provide such information about segments of the questionnaire used and the broad range of responses to those segments, to reassure the questioner that any inferences made in a report overly published, by the client has been properly made. However, this applies only where a report prepared for the client has been published and its contents are in the public domain and can thus be criticised by third parties. If no part of a report published for a client has been made public by the client, then it cannot be reasonably challenged by an external third party. Only information that has been made public can be challenged for validity by third parties.
See: Code of Conduct: Rule B50

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