RESEARCH SUPPORT
Fixed-Fee Statistical Support for Research
One Fee, Agreed After Review
The analytical work, the deliverables, the timeline and one fixed project fee, confirmed after a statistically trained Research Coordinator has reviewed your materials and before any analysis begins, so the scope is clear from the start.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Fixed Project Fee
Same-Day Response
How Does a Fixed Project Fee Work for Research Analysis?
Fixed-fee statistical support for research means that the fee is set once, after review, for a defined piece of analysis: the scope is known before work begins, and no hidden extras arise within it. The route to that point is statistical project scoping, in which a statistically trained Research Coordinator reads the research question, the design, the data and the expected deliverables, and the analytical work, deliverables, timeline and fee are then confirmed together. OnlineSPSS, a specialist statistical consultancy for academic, clinical and professional research, offers this arrangement to doctoral, academic, clinical and professional research teams, with the analysis carried out in-house by PhD-level statisticians. No figures appear on this page, because the fee is set only after review.
WHEN TO ENGAGE
Reasons Researchers Ask How the Fee Is Set
The reason for asking shapes the scope: a proposal needs the work described in advance, while a finished dataset can be scoped against what it actually contains.
Proposal Being Prepared A grant application or project plan needs a line for statistical analysis, so the work has to be described clearly enough to be included before the study starts.
Options Being Weighed You are deciding between doing the analysis alone, using a departmental service and engaging a consultancy, and need to know what a defined engagement includes.
Design Still Settling The design is being finalized, and the assessment can begin from the materials available now, with the scope confirmed once the analytical work is clear.
Sponsor Asking for Detail A supervisor, department or funder asks what the statistical support covers, and the answer should be a defined set of analyses and deliverables, not a general promise.
WHAT THE FEE COVERS
What a Fixed-Fee Scope Is Made Of
A scope is a set of decisions made before work begins, and setting them out in advance is what makes a single fee possible.
Review of Your Materials
A statistically trained Research Coordinator reads the proposal, dataset or manuscript to understand the design, the questions and the structure of the data before any scope is proposed.
The Analytical Work
The models, tests and checks to be carried out are named, drawing on the range of Services, from study design to independent review.
The Deliverables
The outputs you receive, such as tables, figures, syntax or scripts and explanatory notes, are listed, so that nothing is assumed about what is included.
The Timeline
The delivery timeline is agreed as part of the scope, with the Research Coordinator as the point of contact through delivery.
One Fixed Project Fee
Transparent statistical project pricing means one fixed project fee confirmed after review, with no hidden extras within the agreed scope, as summarized under Pricing.
Primary and Exploratory Work
Primary analyses are named in advance and exploratory ones are labeled, so the reported results match what was planned and nothing is presented as confirmatory after the fact.
SCOPING ISSUES
Gaps That Make a Scope Hard to Define
A scope becomes uncertain when one of a few things is missing at the start, and each can usually be settled by a short exchange during review.
No Primary Outcome Named Without a stated primary outcome and comparison, the analysis can expand into many tests, so the question to be answered is fixed before the work is defined.
Dataset Not Yet Seen Data quality, missing values and variable coding change how much work an analysis needs, which is why the dataset or a sample of it is reviewed where possible.
Design Not Described Whether observations are paired, clustered or repeated changes the models required, so a short account of how the data were collected is needed before the work can be defined.
Deliverables Left Unstated A request for "the analysis" can mean raw output, tables for a manuscript or a full methods and results section, and these are different pieces of work.
Software Not Decided Whether the work is carried out in SPSS, R, Stata or another program affects the scripts and files delivered, and a supervisor or journal may have a preference.
Reporting Standard Unknown A target journal or institution may require a reporting guideline or a table format, which is easier to include in the scope than to retrofit.
DELIVERABLES
Documents Listed in the Agreed Scope
Which items you receive depends on the project, and the agreed scope names each one, so that delivery can be compared with the plan.
Analysis Plan or Summary A plan or summary naming the outcomes, models and checks, against which the delivered analysis can be compared.
Cleaned Data and Dictionary Where data preparation is in scope, a cleaned dataset with a dictionary of the coding, exclusions and missing-value rules.
Code in the Agreed Software The program files in the agreed software, each saved with the output it produced, so a figure can be checked against the data.
Results Tables for Your Report Tables and figures in the format your institution or journal requires, with estimates, confidence intervals and sample sizes.
Interpretation Notes A plain explanation of what each result shows and of its statistical limitations.
Methods Note A note listing the tests, options, assumptions checked and software version, so that the analysis can be described accurately.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
Defining the Work Before a Survey Is Analyzed
An illustration of how a scope is set out for a survey dataset with many outcomes.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE · SMALL BUSINESS LENDING SURVEY RESEARCH · UNITED STATES
A postdoctoral researcher in economics held a survey of small business owners and a draft analysis plan with many outcomes, and wanted to know exactly what a defined piece of analysis would include.
The materials reviewed were the draft plan, the questionnaire and an export of the survey file. The review showed two things: the plan did not say which outcomes were primary, and the file contained skipped questions coded as zero, which would have distorted averages. The scope separated the primary analyses from exploratory ones, listed data preparation as part of the work, named the reporting format the target journal required and set the deliverables and the delivery timeline. Results were to be reported as estimates with confidence intervals and not as p-values alone, and this too was listed. Only then was one fixed project fee confirmed, and the analysis began under that scope.
Outcome: The researcher received a scope listing the primary and exploratory analyses, the data preparation, the deliverables and the timeline, with one fixed project fee confirmed before any analysis began.
This example does not describe a real client or project. We never share details of actual client work, in line with the confidentiality we promise every researcher. This illustrative example is included to show the type, scope, and standard of work involved in this kind of analysis.
SOFTWARE
Your Software Is Part of the Scope
The program is named in the scope and chosen to match your supervisor, journal or team, so that scripts and output arrive in a form you can open.
HOW WE ASSESS YOUR PROJECT
We Review Your Actual Research
Your assessment is based on a review of your actual research materials and analytical requirements, not a generic project category.
You Submit Your Project Details
Share whatever is available at the current stage, such as the research aim, protocol or proposal, dataset, variable list, manuscript or statistical requirements.
We Review Your Research and Define the Scope
Your statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the materials to understand the study design, research questions, data structure, analytical requirements and expected deliverables. If clarification is needed, additional documents or information can be requested before the assessment is finalized.
Your Analysis Is Completed and Delivered
Once the scope and fixed project fee are agreed, the in-house statistician completes the work and the Research Coordinator remains the communication point through delivery, with the analysis, deliverables and timeline as agreed.
RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITY
The Fee Buys Support, Not Authorship
One fixed project fee covers agreed statistical support; authorship, interpretation and conclusions are never part of the arrangement.
Agreed Statistical Support OnlineSPSS provides the agreed methodological, analytical and statistical reporting support, defined in a scope that is confirmed before any work begins.
No Intellectual Contribution OnlineSPSS does not claim any intellectual contribution to your research. Authorship of the work the analysis supports, whether a thesis, report or article, remains yours.
Your Research Decisions The research question, the interpretation of the results, the conclusions and overall responsibility for the study remain yours.
Confidential Handling Research data and project details are handled confidentially, project information is not published, and an NDA is available where required.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions About Fixed-Fee Scoping
An unfinished plan can still be scoped, provided the review can see what the analysis must answer and what state the data are in.
What does a fixed-fee arrangement for statistical analysis mean?
Fixed-fee statistical support for research is an arrangement in which the analytical work, deliverables, timeline and one fixed project fee are confirmed after review and before any work begins. Nothing within the agreed scope is added later as a hidden extra.
Can I request an assessment before my analysis plan is final?
Yes. The assessment can begin with whatever exists at the current stage, such as the research aim and a proposal, and your Research Coordinator may ask for further documents or clarification before the assessment is finalized. The scope is confirmed once the analytical work is clear, so an unfinished plan is a reason to start the conversation, not to wait.
What decides whether data preparation is included in the scope?
The state of the dataset. Reviewing the file, or a sample of it, shows whether cleaning, recoding, the handling of missing values or the merging of sources is needed. Where it is, the work is listed in the scope with the deliverables that document it, so that it is visible before the fee is confirmed.
How is a scope different from an analysis plan?
An analysis plan is statistical: it names the outcomes, models and checks that answer the research questions. A scope is the engagement around it: which analyses are carried out, which deliverables you receive, the timeline and the fixed project fee. The analysis plan can itself be one of the deliverables listed in the scope.
How do you protect my research data and confidentiality?
Your data and project details are handled confidentially, and project information is not published. Researcher names and institutions are not used publicly without permission. An NDA is available where required and can be arranged before sensitive materials are shared. Read more about confidentiality and data security.
What happens when I request an assessment, and how long does it take?
You share your research question, design and relevant materials, such as a proposal, a variable list or a draft analysis plan, and a statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the request and responds the same day. The analysis, deliverables, timeline and one fixed project fee are then confirmed before any work begins, so the timeline follows from the agreed scope.
Still have a question? Find more answers in our full FAQ.
NEXT STEP
Find Out What
Your Project Includes
Knowing which analyses, deliverables and timeline one fixed project fee covers is what allows a supervisor, funder or department to plan around the statistical work.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
Fixed Project Fee
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Same-Day Response
Serving Researchers Since 2014