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'''When they ask you to do a survey: GORDON'S FIRST LAW'''
* If a research project is not worth doing, it is not worth doing well.

'''When writing a survey proposal: LAUNEGAYER'S OBSERVATION'''
* Asking dumb questions is easier than correcting dumb mistakes.

'''When planning logistics (don’t be too dependent on equipment): PHILLIPS' LAW'''
* The better the 4WD, the further away you will be when you get stuck.

'''When doing pre-survey library research: WEINER'S LAW OF LIBRARIES'''
* There are no answers, only cross-references.

'''When defining research questions for a survey: BARUCH'S OBSERVATION'''
* If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

'''When selecting tools: COCHRANE'S APHORISM for physicians'''
* Before ordering a test decide what you will do if it is 1) positive or 2) negative. If both answers are the same, don’t do the test.

'''When formulating interview questions: MURRAY'S LAWS'''
:# Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.
:# Never ask a salesman if his is a good price.

'''When researching population, history, etc. (know when to stop): SEGAL'S LAW'''
* A man with one watch knows what time it is.
* A man with two watches is never sure.

'''When consulting on someone else's survey: THE ROMAN RULE'''
* The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it.

[[Category:Methodology]]
'''When gathering data: LEVY'S NINTH LAW'''
* Only God can make a random selection.

'''When analysing the data: FOURTH LAW OF REVISION'''
* After painstaking and careful analysis of a sample, you are always told that it is the wrong sample and does not apply to the problem.

'''Remember to define your terms! COHEN'S LAW'''
* What really matters is the name you succeed in imposing on the facts-- not the facts themselves.

'''When drawing conclusions: THUMB'S FIRST POSTULATE'''
* It is better to solve a problem with a crude approximation and know the truth + 10%, than to demand an exact solution and not know the truth at all.

'''At unexpected times throughout the course of a survey: OLIVIER'S LAW'''
* Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.

compiled by Douglas Boone

Inescapable Laws of Survey - Revision history

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