How do you ensure a postal questionnaire results in research dissertation and not audit?

[mears]

That's it really. I want to do a postal questionnaire really due to time restraints but my tutor says I need to make sure that it doesn't just look like an audit.

Any advice greatfully received.

mears - I'll ask dh as he has done a variety of audit and research using questionnaires for work. Mainly audit - so he might now how to avoid it, but he is in healthcare as well so might know any particular pitfalls.

I'll ask him tonight.

HTH

Thanks

mears - sorry for delay.

Dh says he actually doesnt know muchabout htis, sorry!

He said in his understanding the sample size is important - it can be much smaller in audit. You are looking (as you know) to compare to a national target rather than findanything new.

His only sggestion is its hard to be quantitative and reseach based - so much quantitative audit isdone these days that the distinction is harder to find, and qualitative research is so much easier to make distinctive - butof course so much more hard work as there arent any simple-ish stats to plug in. And the only way to do proper qualitative research is sem-structured intervier, which you can do over the phone bt it best face to face.

Probably doesnt help. But best of luck! I am going to be doinga masters next year, so will be looking over here for inspiration!

Mears, have you sorted this out or are you still unsure?

Am happy to mull this over with you if it's still a problem.