CRRC Research Methods Conference
Tbilisi, June 20, 2013
About the Organizer: The Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), a program of Eurasia Partnership Foundation, is a network of research and research support centers established in the capital cities of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.  Established in 2003, CRRC’s goal is to strengthen social science research and public policy analysis in the South Caucasus. CRRC is funded largely by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, however, we also implement project-specific activities for other donors and implementers in the three countries.  Over the last nine years, CRRC has become a nexus of activity for the social science community in the South Caucasus by providing open access to scholarly literature, data and professional training for social science researchers. For more information about CRRC please visit: http://www.crrccenters.org/
About the Conference: The conference intends to bring together local and international participants that are committed to exploring key methodological issues and advancing practice across the South Caucasus. It will be a relatively small conference focused on constructive how-to discussions and offering researchers the opportunity to discuss and compare their methods, thus advancing methodological innovation across the region.
The conference will bring together between 30 and 35 participants for one full day. Scholars and researchers from all disciplines (e.g., economics, demography, sociology, political sciences, and psychology) who specialize in either quantitative or qualitative research are eligible to apply. 
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:• Secrets of Sampling Design• Constructing an Effective Survey: Paradata and Fieldwork• Data Archiving• Dealing with Nonresponse• Asking the Right Questions: Questionnaire Design, Translation and  Piloting• Making Sense of it All: Survey Analysis Techniques          • Cross-National Analysis: Researching Across National and Cultural  Borders• Cognitive Interviewing: Getting Inside Your Respondents’ Heads • Ethnographic Research in Practice• New Approaches to Focus Group Research• Doing Narrative and Discourse Analysis
Abstracts should meet the following three criteria: Proposed topics should be innovative, practical and applicable/relevant to the region. Preference will be given to those abstracts that are relevant to the Caucasus Barometer methodology.
Submission: Researchers desiring to present their work at this conference are required to submit an abstract online via the abstract submission form by April 20th, 2013. In the case of multiple authors, please indicate the author who would be presenting the paper. Abstracts should be between 500 and 600 words and include the following: 
• Title of presentation • Three to five key words• Contact person's name, title, organization affiliation, address,  telephone, fax number, and email address • Co-authors names and affiliations
Important dates:
Submission of abstracts (500-600 words) – April 20, 2013
Notification on acceptance – April 30, 2013
Submission of full papers/power point presentations – May 31st, 2013
Language of the Conference: English 
Financial Support: CRRC will provide 1 night of lodging, lunch and dinner per person at the conference venue. The cost of airfare will not be covered. However, group transportation by road will be provided for participants from Armenia and Azerbaijan.If you have any further questions concerning the submissions of abstracts, please contact the local organizers at:
Address: 29/31/33 Chavchavadze Avenue, 0179 Tbilisi Georgia     Tel: (995 32) 225 39 42 (ext.114)Fax: (995 32) 225 39 42/43E-mail: Natia Mestvirishvili - natia@crrccenters.org