• Upcoming Meetings
• Prior Meetings & Papers

Prior Meetings and Papers

2012 FCSM Research Conference
Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
January 10-12, 2012

• Final Program [PDF]
• 2012 Conference Proceedings

2010 FCSM Statistical Policy Seminar
Beyond Our Traditions: Innovative Approaches to Longstanding and Emerging Challenges
Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
December 14-15, 2010

Topics

• Examining the Costs of Federal Surveys
• External Peer Reviews of Major Statistical Programs
• Future Directions in Questionnaire Testing
• Data Quality of Administrative Records
• Addressing Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Surveys
• Gaining and Tracking Participation in the 2010 Decennial Census
• Emerging Issues in Disclosure Avoidance
• Emerging Challenges in Federal Statistics
• Metadata and Paradata

2009 Research Conference
Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
November 2-4, 2009

The 2009 Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) Research Conference will be held November 2-4, 2009 at the Washington Conventions Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW, Washington, DC. The Conference provides a forum for experts from around the world to discuss and exchange current research and methodological topics relevant to Federal government statistical programs. Each day of the conference will offer papers on a wide range of topics including the use of advanced technologies for survey design and data collection, processing and dissemination, data mining, data warehousing and metadata, treatment of missing data, improving coverage and response rates, confidentiality and disclosure issues, record linkage, sample design and estimation, cognitive research and usability testing, and data quality.

Technical demonstrations will run concurrently on the second day of the conference during the first morning session. Applications will include demonstrations on Q-Notes, Demonstration of Field Interviewer (Fl) Tracker Tool, Statipedia, and a Demonstration of Census Coverage Measurement Clerical Matching Software. Sessions feature papers and demonstrations by government, private sector, and academic researchers from eight countries. Katharine Abraham from the Joint Program in Survey Methodology at the University of Maryland will be our guest speaker in the opening plenary session. All paper sessions will include an open discussion and some sessions will include a formal discussion.

• Final Program [PDF]
• 2009 FCSM Conference Papers

The Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) is sponsoring a one-day workshop designed to help Federal agencies meet the OMB guidance for conducting nonresponse bias analyses when surveys achieve response rates less than 80 percent. The workshop will feature illustrative examples of the research done by Federal agencies and their contractors to examine nonresponse bias in Federal surveys. The workshop is intended to provide a forum for agencies to learn and share experiences in conducting nonresponse bias analyses, with emphasis on the methodology, and each session will include time for floor discussion. A variety of techniques will be illustrated on different surveys, including Federal surveys of individuals, households, business establishments, farms, and educational institutions.

• Workshop Announcement [PDF]
• Registration Form [doc]
• Program Information [PDF]

Program

Topics:

• Statistical Uses of Administrative Records in Federal Agencies
• Case Studies in the Statistical Uses of Administrative Records
• Cell Phones: The New Frontier in RDD surveys
• New Perspectives and Practices on Non-Response Bias Analyses
• Current Issues in Privacy and the Safekeeping of Personally Identifiable Information
• Survey Respondent Incentives
• Current Trends in Access to Restricted-Use Data
• Development and Management of Human and Institutional Capital in Statistical Organizations
• 2010 Census Experiments
• Issues of Data Capacity and Statistical Quality to Support Modeling and Micro-simulation Efforts
• Making Survey Processes More Robust in Response to Funding Reductions
• Using Paradata to Improve the Management of Survey Costs

Keynote Address:

2007 Federal Committee On Statistical Methodology Research Conference
Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, Arlington VA
This event was held November 5-7, 2007

The 2007 FCSM Research Conference will be held November 5-7, 2007 at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, Arlington, Virginia. The Conference provides a forum for experts from around the world to discuss and exchange current research and methodological topics relevant to Federal government statistical programs. Each day of the conference will offer papers on a wide range of topics including the use of advanced technologies for survey design and data collections, processing and dissemination, variance estimation, treatment of missing data, improving coverage and response rates, confidentiality and disclosure issues, record linkage, sample design and estimation, cognitive research and data quality.

Technical demonstrations on a variety of applications will run concurrently on the second day of the conference. Applications include demonstrations of audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI), a pen-based data collection system, computer-assisted recording interviewing (CARI), the use of hand-held computer for data collection, the use of GPS hand-held receivers in agricultural surveys, and data dissemination using the web. Sessions feature papers and demonstrations by government, private sector and academic researchers from nine countries.

In the opening plenary session, Jon Krosnick from Stanford University will be our guest speaker. All paper sessions will include an open discussion and some sessions will include a formal discussion.

Contact information

The Eighth in a Series of Seminars Hosted by COPAFS (The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics)
Participants will include Statisticians, Economists, and Managers, as well as Other Professionals in the Broader Statistical Community who Share an Interest in Keeping Current on Issues Related to Federal Data.

Support Provided by
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality * Bureau of Economic Analysis * Bureau of Justice Statistics * Bureau of Labor Statistics * Bureau of Transportation Statistics * Energy Information Administration * Environmental Protection Agency * National Agricultural Statistics Service * National Center for Education Statistics * National Center for Health Statistics * Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics of the Social Security Statistics of Income Division of the Internal Revenue Service * U.S. Census Bureau

Topics

• The Quality of Administrative Records for Statistical Uses
• Longitudinal Survey Designs: Current Best Practices and Continuing Challenges
• Providing Researchers Access to Federal Data
• The Future of Telephone Surveys
• Positioning the Federal Statistical System to Quickly Respond to Data Needs in Times of Crisis or Catastrophe
• Nonresponse Bias Analyses in Federal Surveys
• Incentives - New Results on the Effects of Incentives
• Total Survey Error in Economic Statistics
• How to Encourage Innovation
• Using Internet Panels For National Data
• Modeling Survey Costs: Towards a Research Agenda
• Establishing Archival Data Systems for Agency Historical Information

Location and Seminar Cost
L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington D.C. 20024 Cost: $195.00 per person

For further information, contact the COPAFS office: Phone: 703-836-0404 or Email: copafs@aol.com

Final Program [PDF] 23K

2005 Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) Research Conference
November 14-16, 2005

The 2005 Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) Research Conference will be held November 14-16, 2005, at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, VA. The conference provides a forum for experts from around the world to discuss and exchange current research and methodological topics relevant to Federal government statistical programs. Each day of the conference will offer papers on a wide range of topics. Technical demonstrations on a variety of applications will run concurrently on the second day of the conference. Applications include systems for data warehousing, data analysis, clerical review, and data dissemination. Sessions feature papers and demonstrations by government, private sector, and academic researchers from six countries.

Session Topics

• Time series and Statistical Modeling
• Measuring Data Quality
• Bayesian Applications
• Internet Applications and Survey Mode Comparisons
• Sample Design and Estimation
• Model-Based Survey Estimation
• Census and Survey Evaluation
• Confidentiality
• Advances in Frame Development
• Variance Estimation
• Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry
• Geospatial Analysis
• Labor Force Statistics
• The Response Process
• Linking Administrative Data and Survey Data
• Administrative Data and Data Quality
• Improving Response Rates
• Survey Integration and Planning
• Qualitative Evaluation
• Treatment of Missing Data
• Pretesting Non-English Language Questionnaires
• Use of Innovative Technologies
• Establishment Surveys
• Data for Policymaking

All paper sessions will include an open discussion and some sessions will include a formal discussion. Papers will be made available at the conference on a CD-ROM. The final program/abstract booklet will be distributed at the conference.

The Seventh in a Series of Seminars Hosted by COPAFS (The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics)
Participants will include Statistician, Economists, and Managers, as well as Others in the Broader Statistical Community who Share an Interest in the Quality of Federal Data.

Session Topics

• Standards for Statistical Surveys
• Agency Initiatives to Monitor Survey Quality
• Recent Advances in Measuring Quality Assurance
• Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?
• Integrated Survey Designs: Analytical Enhancements Achieved Through Linkage of Surveys, Administrative and Secondary Data
• Telephone Surveys in a Changing Environment
• Incentives in Government Surveys: Practices and Perspectives
• Web Surveys: A Research Agenda For a Changing Environment
• Advisory Panels: Seeking user Feedback to Improve the Quality of Statistical Programs
• Researcher Access to Confidential and Micro Data From Home Institutions
• Data Mining: Policy Implications and Applications
• Tools, Policy, and Procedures for Survey Improvement

Support provided by
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality * Bureau of Economic Analysis * Bureau of Labor Statistics * Bureau of Transportation Statistics * Energy Information Administration * Environmental Protection Agency * National Agricultural Statistics Service * National Center for Education Statistics * National Center for Health Statistics * Social Security Administration * Statistics of Income Division of the Internal Revenue Service * U.S. Census Bureau

The 2003 Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology Research Conference provides a forum for experts from around the world to discuss and exchange current research and methodological topics relevant to Federal government statistical programs.

Each day of the conference will offer papers on a wide range of topics, including the use of advanced technologies for survey design and data collection, processing and dissemination, data mining, data warehousing and metadata, treatment of missing data, improving coverage and response rates, confidentiality and disclosure issues, record linkage, sample design and estimation, cognitive research and usability testing, and data quality.

Technical demonstrations on a variety of applications will run concurrently on the second day of the conference. Applications include systems for data warehousing, data analysis, clerical review, and data dissemination.

This is the sixth in a series of seminars hosted by COPAFS (Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics). The seminar opened with a keynote address by Jay Hakes, current director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and former Administrator at the Energy Information Agency. Twelve invited sessions related to the theme, "Challenges to the Federal Statistical System in Fostering Access to Statistics" were presented.

FCSM Research Conference
November 14-16, 2001

Highlights
The Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) Research Conference was held on November 14-16, 2001 at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington,Virginia. The conference featured addresses by Stephen Fienberg of Carnegie Mellon University on "The Interplay Between Research Innovation and Federal Statistical Practice," and Kenneth Prewitt of The New School on "Federal Statistics: The 'Right' Balance Between Accountability and Autonomy."

Contributed paper and technical demonstration sessions provided platforms for discussion and exchange of a wide range of current research and methodological topics relevant to Federal government statistical programs.

Note
Additional Reports and Proceedings from prior FCSM Conferences and Seminars can be found on the methodology reports page.