Who we are
Formed in 2023 from the merger of the Statistical Consulting and Collaborative Research Unit and the Survey Research Centre, the Statistical Consulting and Survey Research Unit (SCSRU) aims to provide high-quality statistical and survey research services to the University of Waterloo community and external institutions and organizations.
Who can request our services
Our services are available to all University of Waterloo faculty, staff, and students, and external entities such as researchers from other universities, government institutions, and private and public companies.
How we can help you
We offer two streams of service categorized into Statistical Consulting and Survey Research.
Statistical Consulting
Our statistical consultants provide statistical advice to overcome obstacles and keep your research moving forward, or we can help plan to avoid some roadblocks later on in the research process.
When working with faculty and staff, we hope to share ownership of projects with you, not just serve as a resource that tackles one small aspect of the problem being solved. As collaborators, we work towards understanding the context of your research problem completely, and provide guidance on getting the most out of your resources.
For external organizations, we function similarly to a private consulting firm.
Click to learn more about our Statistical Consulting services.
Survey Research
The SCSRU offers a spectrum of services ranging from design consultation to survey data collection to data analysis. Since 1999, we have worked to develop expertise in rigorous, specialized academic research.
We understand that each survey research project is unique. We focus on your research objectives, using best practice approaches to tailor the research methodology aimed at producing valid, reliable and useful data.
While it is optimal to start our involvement at the beginning of the research project when preparing grant applications or designing a survey, our services are available at any time during the research process.
Why choose the Statistical Consulting and Survey Research Unit
As a small, academic unit, we have the flexibility to customize our services to your research needs. We have experience deftly tackling the unique requirements and challenges of survey research projects. As a small, experienced team, we are able to concentrate on excellent customer service, attention to detail, and adherence to rigorous standards of research. Please read what our clients have to say about us.
Our location within the University of Waterloo provides us with a unique opportunity to employ exceptional, engaged undergraduate and graduate students to conduct primary research in our call centre. Our projects benefits greatly from their insight and skills.
Our mission
Our mission is to provide high-quality statistical advice and survey research services to the University of Waterloo Community and external institutions and organizations through our two service streams, Statistical Consulting and Survey Research.
Our objectives
- Providing high-quality survey research services to academic and institutional researchers.
- Contributing to research in survey methodology, and encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration.
- Helping to communicate research findings and activity, and making survey method resources and expertise visible and easily accessible, at the University of Waterloo and externally.
- Contributing to education and training.
- Providing advice and support to researchers and administration at the University of Waterloo.
The Statistical Consulting and Survey Research Unit supports the University of Waterloo strategic plan by:
- Supporting transformation research by University of Waterloo faculty and students
- Offering opportunities for experiential and work-integrated learning for undergraduate and graduate students