The Data Management Quality System

In any research project, no matter how many people are involved, the researcher is ultimately responsible for the ability of the data to support research conclusions. This chapter focuses on the combination of theory and approaches in quality management and applies them specifically to the challenge of managing data in research settings to define a data management quality system. The purpose of such a data management quality system is to assure that data are collected and processed consistently and that data are capable of supporting research conclusions. The chapter presents the major factors that impact data quality and prepares the reader to control the immediate environment in which his or her project occurs using a quality management system approach. The concept of consistency, another way of saying lack of variation, plays an important role in defining quality.