Consultation

The Institute for Social Science Research offers free consultation and workshops on social science methods and statistical analysis for students, faculty, and other members of the UMass-Amherst research community. Our consulting service is staffed by a team of advanced graduate students who provide consultation by appointment.  The team also offers short courses in specific methods and data program packages.  Our graduate student consultants are funded by the Graduate School at UMass-Amherst.

Free Consultation

The Institute for Social Science Research offers free consultation and workshops on social science methods and statistical analysis for students, faculty, and other members of the UMass-Amherst research community. Our consulting service is staffed by a team of advanced graduate students who provide consultation during walk-in hours and by appointment.  The team also offers short courses in specific methods and data program packages.  Our graduate student consultants are funded by the Graduate School at UMass-Amherst.

Please Note: Our free consultation services are offered on an as-available basis during set hours, and are limited to general advice on standard research methods or more advanced methods that fall within the range of expertise of our consultants. Consultant services are not available during the summer months. 
 

Fall 2016 consultations are available during walk-in hours at Bartlett 107 every weekday from 1 pm - 4 pm, or by appointment.

Our consulting service and training workshops are held in a fully equipped computing and training lab, located in 107 Bartlett Hall. The lab is equipped with computers pre-loaded with popular software platforms, including:

  • Stata
  • NVivo
  • R
  • SAS
  • SPSS
  • Adobe Professional
  • Microsoft Office

We also have workspace in the lab for those using their own laptops.

*Support for the ISSR Methodology Consultants is generously provided by the UMass Graduate School.

Fee-for-Service Consultation

ISSR also offers private, customized fee-based consultations specific to principal investigators’ research activities, as well as customized workshops, at a rate of $150 an hour.

Areas of expertise

General

  • Research design
  • Data management, coding, and processing
  • Questionnaire design and survey implementation
  • Public secondary data sources (Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, etc.)

Analytical Software

  • NVivo
  • SAS
  • Stata​
  • SPSS
  • R
  • Access
  • Excel
  • ArcGIS/GeoDA

Quantitative Methods

  • Descriptive analysis and simple hypothesis testing
  • Multivariate linear regression
  • Logistic regression, including multinomial, ordered, and count-based approaches
  • Longitudinal data analysis, including fixed and random effects
  • Hierarchical linear/multi-level modeling
  • Factor, cluster, and principal components analysis
  • Structural equations modeling
  • Event history and survival analysis
  • Propensity score
  • Measurement error
  • Multiple imputation and missing data
  • Data visualization and graphics
  • Network analysis and exponential random graph modeling
  • Survey-weighted statistical methods
  • Spatial data analysis

Qualitative Methods

  • Structured interviewing methods and NVivo coding
  • Archival research
  • Content analysis, coding, and use of descriptive statistics in qualitative research
  • Design of comparative and case study-based research

*Support for the ISSR Methodology Consultants is generously provided by the UMass Graduate School.