Draft Industry Standard for Focus Group Research

Focus groups are one of the fundamental methods that provide information in the social sciences. However, it remains the subject of heated discussions at the most general level - about the substantive aspects of the implementation of this method and even about its definition. In particular, the question is discussed whether some of the methodological decisions proposed under the name of "focus groups" are directly erroneous and counterproductive. Such a situation can damage the development of both the scientific disciplines associated with the use of focus groups and the market of applied sociological research. To mitigate such risks, the author proposes to adopt an industry standard for focus group research, which will contain a description of the basic version of the method and rules for working with its various versions. The set of norms proposed as a draft industry standard affects the actions of social researchers in organizing and conducting focus groups from the moment of receiving a request to interacting with the customer after the presentation of the report, and includes 7 stages. At each stage, measures are proposed that can clarify communication, explicate the implied mutual obligations of the participants, and give focus group research customers clear guidelines to assess the quality of the services they acquire. On the other hand, it protects researchers conducting focus groups from unreasonable demands and claims from the customer. The presentation of the author's proposals in the form of a draft standard implies their openness to criticism, discussion, addition, and even complete change. The author also grants permission in advance for the use of the draft standard by any interested person at their discretion. Keywords: focus groups, focused interviews, group interviews, quality of sociological data, standardization, regulation, industry standard