General Procedure

Initial Consultation

• Each client is assigned a dedicated Research Lead who oversees all aspects of the research design and development process. When appropriate, the Research Lead will integrate additional subject matter experts to enhance the proposal’s competitiveness for funding and its overall contribution to the scientific community.

• You will be assigned a Research Lead, who will be your point of contact for your research design and development project. The assigned research lead, if necessary, will incorporate additional subject matter experts to enhance the fundability of your proposal and your contribution to science. 

• IAS will work with you on the positioning of specific aims and hypotheses. We’ll help you shape your hypothesis(es) and specific aims with your study/project design in mind and set you up for success in designing a study that is appropriate for your goals and outcomes.

• IAS will collaborate with you to identify key areas of literature to ground your proposal. We’ll then assist with the literature review, assess preliminary data, and review funding guidelines and regulations to ensure evidence-based and context-appropriate recommendations.

Study/Project Conceptualization and Design

• IAS will collaborate with you on choosing the best study/project design (experimental designs, quasi-experimental designs, descriptive or observational designs, cross-sectional designs, cohort or longitudinal designs, case studies, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and more), accurate sampling plans, survey design, or measurements, data collection, and planned statistical analyses.

• IAS will help with developing a comprehensive study/project protocol following set specified standards, including detailed methodology and any needed supportive documents (Informed consent Forms, Case report Forms) for regulatory submissions.

• IAS will work with you to formulate an appropriate statistical strategy applicable to your study/project by determining sample sizes, selecting appropriate tests, and preparing a detailed data analysis plan.

Review and Refinement

• As part of an ongoing review, IAS will share the developed research protocol/plan with you for review and any assessment of any ethical considerations of the involved key stakeholders for the evaluation of the operational feasibility of the protocol/plan based on available resources, timeline, and budget. 

Finalization

• IAS will provide support as needed to submit the design protocol/plan.

• IAS will provide ongoing consultation to handle amendments, address changes, and modify data design as necessary to maintain the scientific integrity of the study/project.