How to Evaluate Market Research Reports

The standard market research report serves an integral role in helping marketers make business decisions.  While sometimes viewed as a rather dull document, the information contained in a research report may shed important light on marketing issues otherwise not recognized by the marketing organization. 

However, not all research reports contain good information.  Many reports lack sufficient controls on how the research was conducted to be considered useful.  In this tutorial we address issues related to evaluating market research reports.  In particular, we provide guidance on what separates quality research from research that holds little value.

The information in this tutorial is intended to assist marketers in evaluating research studies sold by market research companies; studies reported in media outlets (e.g., articles in business magazines); or when evaluating reports companies produce themselves and use as promotional material (e.g., white papers). 

This tutorial includes the following topics:
 1. Evaluating Market Research Reports
 2. Research to Aid Decision-Making
 3. Research as a Promotional Tool
 4. Research Validity and Reliability
 5. Judging Research Quality
 6. Purpose For Doing the Research
 7. Qualifications of the Researcher
 8. Quality of Survey Questions
 9. Method for Selecting Respondents
10. Method for Distributing Survey
11. Assessing Differences Between Groups
12. Presentation of Research Results
13. Research and Marketing Decisions