How we move from a useful question to defensible evidence—and expose the limits alongside the findings.
Applies toOriginal TalkAbout researchMethod disclosureRequired for every studySponsor approval rightsNone over findings Research lifecycleQuestion & design 01Sample & fieldwork 02Analysis 03Review 04Sponsorship 05Every study begins with a documented research question, intended audience and decision context. We define terms, hypotheses and exclusion criteria before examining the final results. Survey instruments and interview guides are reviewed for leading language, ambiguity and avoidable bias.
Respondents must meet stated professional, organisational or behavioural criteria. We disclose whether recruitment came from independent panels, TalkAbout audiences, partner lists or a combination.
Quantitative analysis preserves the distinction between descriptive association and causal explanation. Rounding, calculated fields and index construction are documented. Qualitative themes are checked against transcripts or notes and are not represented as population estimates.
TalkAbout Live signals may provide context or identify questions for study, but they do not substitute for a representative sample and are labelled separately.
Before publication, a study is reviewed for calculation accuracy, consistency between evidence and claims, fair treatment of contrary findings, clear limitations and responsible visual presentation. Material changes after publication are recorded.
Where practical, tables and codebooks are retained so findings can be checked. Personal or commercially confidential source data is protected and is not released merely to prove a result.
A sponsor may help identify a market question, fund fieldwork and review material for factual statements about its own products. It may not select respondents to predetermine an outcome, alter data, remove inconvenient findings or approve conclusions.
If a study cannot be published independently, it is not TalkAbout research.