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How to apply for survey time?

The Social Study provides an opportunity for researchers to easily collect representative data of the Belgian population. The procedure to apply for survey time with the panel consists of two stages:

Stage 1: Notification of interest

The initial stage requires submission of a brief application (submit here), which will be reviewed by TSS Scientific Committee based on two main criteria: (1) ethics and sustainability of the panel and (2) feasibility of questionnaire proposal given TSS design. TSS Scientific Committee meets monthly and will consider your application at its next meeting.

Stage 2: Substantive submission

In case of a positive outcome, you will be asked to submit a substantive application (via e-mail). Upon submission, the substantive application will undergo a review by the Scientific Committee of TSS based on three criteria: (1) ethics and sustainability of the panel, (2) quality of the questionnaire and (3) feasibility of questionnaire proposal given TSS design.

If adjustments are necessary, you will receive a notification detailing the specific areas that require revision. A revised version might be submitted for additional assessment. Upon approval of the final version without any further revisions, you will be provided with information on implementation and a contract. TSS takes care of implementing the survey in TSS online survey platform and drafting the layout of the paper version of your questionnaire.

More details on the submission procedure can be found in our document on procedure and evaluation criteria.

Applicants are asked to submit their survey questions at the substantive submission stage at least, using TSS template for questionnaire submission.

Before submitting your application, we advise you to familiarize yourself with The Social Study style guide (containing recommendations for survey construction) and to consult the core variables we already collected among our panelists and that are freely made available to all researchers (Core Study Questionnaire in French and in Dutch).

Additional documents that might be of interest to applicants: translation guidelines and pretest procedure.

We work with a continuous open call for new survey submissions. Do not hesitate to reach out to surveymanagement@thesocialstudy.be for any question.

Thank you for your interest in The Social Study!

Additional information

The Social Study exclusively collects data for scientific purposes. Applications without public interest as legal basis will be declined.

The Social Study panel allows for longitudinal and experimental research designs.

Funding

If you are applying for funding for your survey time, please use this description of The Social Study in your application to the research foundation.