Audit Questions

<aside> ⚠️ A research project that exceeds our plagiarism threshold (more than 20%) will result in an automatic audit score of 1 (even if other parts of the project meet the minimum quality standards) and the analyst’s permissions to the platform will be subject to removal.

</aside>

Research jobs are audited against the following questions:

Rating Scale: Y = Yes, P = Partial, N = No

1. Was the Analyst's approach logically sound? (6 Total Points)

   Research Quality Requirements

   For the following two questions, an analyst can be awarded 0-3 points.

   Yes= 3 points, Partial = 1 point, No= 0 points

   • Did the logic used to research make sense? (Y/P/N) 3 points
     • The research approach was logical, meaning it made sense to use this approach to answer the research.
   • Was the research well organized? (Y/P/N) 3 points
     • Headers correlate with the RCs and make sense.

   Customer Experience Requirements

   For the following three questions if the analyst does not meet these criteria, a point is deducted for each category.

   • Included Key Takeaways that were relevant to the research question. No= -1 point
   • Included an introduction. No= -1 point
     • If it was a CU, the missing information was specified, helpful findings were introduced, and the client was told additional information was available in the Research Strategy.
   • Included a Research Strategy that named at least one specific source. No= -1 point
     • If it is a Client Update, three alternative strategies are explained that prove due diligence and show the information is unavailable, and a hypothesis is provided as to why the information is not available.

1. Did the Analyst base the Research on credible sources? (2 Total Points)

   Research Quality Requirements

   For the following two questions, an analyst can be awarded 0-2 points.

   Yes= 2 points, No= 0 points

   • Were the sources credible? (Y/N) 2 points
     • This means avoiding sources that are biased, unsubstantiated, inexplicably out-of-date, or "open source" (editable by anyone).
     • Unsubstantiated blogs are not a substantial source of information. An effort is made to use original sources, not third-party sites.

   Customer Experience Requirements

   For the following three questions, if the analyst does not meet these criteria, a point is deducted for each category.

   • All findings have a citation. No= -1 point
     • A minimum of one citation per bullet point.
   • There is a direct link to quotes, text, and statistics obtained from the source. No= -1 point
     • Check the Key Takeaways, direct quotes, findings, and statistics for this requirement as described in the FAQ section here.

1. Did the Analyst provide a comprehensive response to the client's inquiry? (12 Total Points)

Research Quality Requirements

For the following two questions, an analyst can be awarded 0-3 points.

Yes= 3 points, Partial = 1 point, No= 0 points

• Were all the research criteria addressed? (Y/P/N) 3 points

• Was the information that was provided correct? (Y/P/N) 3 points

  • An analyst that incorrectly reports multiple data points to the client will automatically receive 0 points for question #3.

• Was the information provided relevant to the client’s question? (Y/P/N) 3 points

• Was the research comprehensive? (Y/P/N) 3 points

  • It is reflective of the hours invested in the research, each RC is addressed adequately, and there are 5 sources per 3 hours of research.
  • The majority of headers have a minimum of three bullet points.

  <aside> 💡 An analyst that presents a client with a Client Update, when it is clear the information is actually available, will automatically receive a fail for this section. Repeated offenses will be sent to Admin for review. Permissions will be subject to pause or removal.

  </aside>