DIY – at your peril
‘A fine example of 21st Century
Windbaggery’ ‘Merely
a stable which will accept any hobbyhorse’ Very well known for not knowing what it does’
These are just
some examples from a squabble this week in a Royal Society and Charity about
direction, a breakdown between members and staff and oh yes, the value of Research.
This Society
protested it had consulted members through an annual survey, but they
committed the venal sin of doing it themselves – the Research was not conducted
independently and thereby raised as many problems as it had planned to settle.
There have been allegations of suppressed data, poor expression and particular
analysis aimed to give prominence to convenient viewpoints.
I know, I know,
that Research tools available on the internet can give the illusion of power
and impartiality and appear to ‘magic up’ sound quantitative methods.
But don’t do it
yourself – if it were a house you might trust yourself with shelves but you’d
be a fool to go down the DIY route with complex electrics or an extension – and even then, your work would
be independently assessed to ensure compliance.
So whatever
Research you are contemplating, outsource to a Research Agency you can trust -
don’t do it yourself.
Jonathan Brill
