Additional Protocol Clarifications

Additional Clarification re Proposed Generic IC Request

The purpose of the cognitive interviewing study is 1) to identify the phenomena being captured by the race/ethnicity classification questions as well as 2) to identify response process difficulties.  The interview protocol for this study is included in CCQDER’s 10-day OMB letter and describes the semi-structured format which is typical for all CCQDER cognitive interviewing studies addressing these specified research questions. 

Ideally, CCQDER hopes to collect in the range of 100 interviews, using purposive sampling to attain a wide variety of respondents from the various race/ethnicity groups.  The extent to which this is possible, however, is not clear; although every attempt will be made, particular groups may be especially difficult to reach.  Given this uncertainty, CCQDER will provide regular updates to OMB regarding the recruitment process.  Recruitment procedures and materials are also detailed in the 10-day letter.

It is not the practice of CCQDER to externally share recordings or transcripts of interviews until after a study is completed.  Once a final report is completed, it is standard practice to provide access to summary text and analytic codes (via Q-Notes, a CCQDER data entry and analysis application) to promote transparency, credibility and the integrity of findings.  Access to recordings or transcripts can sometimes be made available but requires additional processing and resources to ensure respondent confidentiality.  As is policy for all CCQDER studies, a final report will posted on Q-Bank—a publicly accessible website hosted by NCHS that provides access to cognitive testing reports.  In addition to the report, methodological research papers may also be written.