Qualitative Research Support

End-to-end qualitative research services, including study design, development of discussion guides and interview protocols, focus group facilitation, in-depth interviews, codebook development, qualitative data analysis, and interpretation of findings.

Please read through our informative documents:

• Working With BERD
• Authorship Criteria
• Data Cleaning Guide

The timeline for completing our work is contingent on receiving the data from the investigator in a timely manner and appropriate format. Consulting with a biostatistician at the study design or data acquisition phase is highly recommended. We will try our best to accommodate any time constraints you may have, but please understand that we are working on multiple projects with their own deadlines. General guidelines for the time needed are as follows:

Obtain expert guidance on how to plan, design, implement and evaluate your research project using qualitative methodology.

An initial one-hour free consultation with the Community Engagement (CE) Co-Director is required to assess project needs, identify appropriate services, and determine the number of hours or level of effort required for the project. Following the initial consultation, investigators will receive a recommended scope of work and cost estimate. 

Pricing & Billing Notes

• The rates shown are blended rates for SC CTSI services and reflect the combined cost of personnel, expertise, and operational support required to provide the service.
• The rates shown include all applicable salary and fringe benefit costs.
• Services are billed as “Other Materials and Supplies (SC0243)” through the USC Priority Software FBS platform monthly.
• Non-industry rates apply to academic, government, foundation, and non-profit funded research projects and are partially subsidized by SC CTSI.
• Industry rates apply to research funded or sponsored by commercial, for-profit organizations, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies.
• Annual effort-based rates represent 100% effort; costs are prorated based on the level of effort requested and the project duration.
• Organizations outside of USC and CHLA are subject to an additional 30.5% indirect cost (overhead) rate on professional service agreements.
• For grant-funded projects, investigators are encouraged to engage the CE Team during proposal development to ensure adequate resources are budgeted for community engagement activities.