Research, Analysis & Communication
Complicated question? Let’s figure it out.
Most of my work begins the same way: I encounter a question, learn as much as I can about it, figure out what the evidence says, and explain what I’ve learned in clear language.
That has been the common thread throughout my career as a teacher, researcher, writer, and analyst.
If you have a complicated subject, a pile of data, a report that needs to make sense, or a question that nobody has had time to investigate, I may be able to help.
What I Do
I help individuals and organizations research complicated questions, analyze the evidence, and turn the results into something useful and understandable.
Depending on the project, that might include:
- Researching a business, economic, social, educational, or policy question
- Finding and evaluating reliable data and source material
- Statistical analysis and interpretation
- Excel analysis, tables, charts, and data presentation
- Turning research findings into clear reports
- Explaining technical or statistical information in plain English
- Preparing articles, background papers, briefings, and presentations
- Organizing scattered information into a coherent story
- Reviewing existing research and identifying what it does — and does not — show
You do not need to know exactly what kind of service you need before contacting me. If you can describe the problem, question, or project, we can start there.
Research Without the Jargon
Good research does not end with finding numbers.
The important questions are usually:
What do the numbers mean?
What can we reasonably conclude from them?
How do we explain those conclusions to someone who is not a statistician or researcher?
That is the part of the process I enjoy most.
I have worked extensively with government and academic data, including material from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Federal Reserve, FRED, and the National Center for Education Statistics. I also have experience with Excel, SPSS, R, statistical analysis, charts, tables, and data visualization.
But the software is only a tool.
The goal is to understand the subject well enough to explain it clearly.
From Research to Something People Can Use
A project might begin with a question such as:
- What does the available evidence actually tell us about this issue?
- Is there data that supports — or contradicts — a commonly repeated claim?
- What trends are hidden in a large spreadsheet or dataset?
- How can technical research be explained to a general audience?
- How should the results of an analysis be presented to clients, managers, readers, or policymakers?
- What background information does an organization need before making a decision?
The finished product might be a report, article, spreadsheet, chart, presentation, briefing paper, literature review, or simply a clear explanation of what the research shows.
Teaching Is Still at the Center of It
I spent many years teaching statistics, research methods, and Excel.
Teaching taught me something that applies well beyond the classroom: knowing a subject is not enough. You also have to understand it well enough to explain it to somebody else.
That is still how I approach my work.
Learn it. Analyze it. Explain it.
If you have a research question, dataset, report, or complicated subject that needs to be investigated and explained clearly, send me a short description of what you are trying to accomplish.
Contact Vic Napier