This is an excellent and crucial request for any mixed methods study! Budgeting time and money for the intricate dance between quantitative and qualitative data requires careful planning.

Below, I'll break down the time and cost estimates by study phase, highlighting the specific needs for surveys (quantitative), interviews (qualitative), and their integration.

Mixed Methods Study: Time & Money Budget Estimate

Assumptions for this Estimate:

• Study Scope: A moderate-sized project.


• Quantitative: Online survey, target N=500 respondents. Some open-ended questions.


• Qualitative: 25-30 semi-structured interviews.


• Team: Principal Investigator (PI), 1-2 Research Assistants (RAs).


• Duration: Approximately 9-15 months from design to final report.


• Personnel Rates (example, adjust for your context):


• PI: $75-$120/hour (or institutional salary equivalent)


• Research Assistant (RA): $25-$45/hour (or institutional salary equivalent)


• External Consultant/Statistician: $100-$250/hour


• Transcription Service: $1.50-$3.00/minute of audio


• "Weeks" = Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) weeks. A PI might only dedicate 0.25 FTE (10 hours/week) while an RA is 0.5-1.0 FTE.

Phase 1: Study Design & Planning (Mixed Methods Focus)

This phase is critical for defining the integration strategy from the outset.

• Activities:


• Literature Review & Theoretical Framework


• Research Questions (Quant, Qual, and Mixed Methods RQs)


• Methodology Design (Specific sequence/integration strategy – e.g., exploratory sequential, convergent parallel)


• Sampling Strategy (Quant power analysis, Qual purposive sampling)


• Ethics Application (IRB/Ethics Board)


• Project Management Plan


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 4-8 weeks (part-time)


• RA: 2-4 weeks (part-time for literature, logistics)


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (PI/RA salary): $15,000 - $40,000 (depending on FTE % and duration)


• Software (Reference Manager): $0 - $150 (e.g., Zotero free, EndNote paid)


• Books/Articles: $100 - $500


• Total for Phase 1: $15,100 - $40,650

Phase 2: Instrument Development & Pilot Testing

Tailored for both survey and interview protocols, ensuring they align with mixed methods goals.

2a: Quantitative (Survey) Development

• Activities:


• Questionnaire Design (Likert scales, demographics, open-ended)


• Online Survey Platform Setup (Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, etc.)


• Pilot Testing (cognitive interviews, small-scale deployment)


• Refinement based on pilot feedback


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 2-4 weeks (part-time)


• RA: 3-6 weeks (part-time for setup, piloting logistics)


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (PI/RA salary): $8,000 - $20,000


• Survey Platform: $0 - $1,000 (many universities have free access; paid tiers offer more features)


• Pilot Test Participants (incentives): $100 - $300 (e.g., 10-20 participants @ $10-$15 each)


• Total for 2a: $8,100 - $21,300

2b: Qualitative (Interview) Protocol Development

• Activities:


• Interview Guide Design (main questions, probes)


• Pilot Interviews (with 2-3 representatives)


• Refinement based on pilot feedback


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 1-2 weeks (part-time)


• RA: 1-2 weeks (part-time for logistics, note-taking during pilots)


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (PI/RA salary): $3,000 - $8,000


• Pilot Interview Participants (incentives): $50 - $150 (e.g., 2-3 participants @ $25-$50 each)


• Recording Equipment (if not already owned): $0 - $200 (smartphone or basic digital recorder)


• Total for 2b: $3,050 - $8,350

Phase 3: Data Collection

This is often the most time and resource-intensive phase.

3a: Quantitative (Survey) Data Collection

• Activities:


• Recruitment (email lists, social media ads, professional panels)


• Survey Administration & Monitoring


• Data Cleaning & Initial Preparation


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 1-2 weeks (part-time for oversight)


• RA: 4-8 weeks (part-time/full-time for recruitment, monitoring)


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (PI/RA salary): $10,000 - $30,000


• Participant Incentives (N=500): $2,500 - $10,000 (e.g., $5-$20 per participant gift card)


• Online Panel Service: $5,000 - $15,000 (if using external panel for recruitment)


• Advertising/Promotion: $500 - $2,000 (if paid social media ads, etc.)


• Total for 3a: $18,000 - $57,000

3b: Qualitative (Interview) Data Collection

• Activities:


• Recruitment (contacting, screening, scheduling)


• Conducting Interviews (in-person, virtual)


• Interview Logistics (travel, venue if applicable)


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 4-8 weeks (part-time/full-time, depending on who conducts interviews)


• RA: 4-8 weeks (part-time/full-time for scheduling, conducting some interviews, notes)


• (Estimate: ~1.5-2 hours per interview to conduct, plus travel, scheduling, prep/debrief)


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (PI/RA salary): $12,000 - $40,000


• Participant Incentives (N=30): $750 - $1,500 (e.g., $25-$50 per participant)


• Travel (if in-person): $500 - $3,000 (mileage, parking, public transport, or very limited flights)


• Virtual Meeting Platform (if not free): $0 - $100/month


• Total for 3b: $13,250 - $44,600

Phase 4: Data Preparation & Analysis

This phase involves specific skills for each data type and then the crucial integration.

4a: Quantitative Data Preparation & Analysis

• Activities:


• Data Cleaning & Validation (missing data, outliers)


• Statistical Analysis (descriptive, inferential tests)


• Visualization & Interpretation of Quant Results


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 3-6 weeks (part-time for oversight, interpretation)


• RA: 4-8 weeks (part-time/full-time for cleaning, running analyses)


• Statistician Consultant: 1-2 weeks (part-time, if external help needed)


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (PI/RA salary): $15,000 - $40,000


• Statistical Software: $0 - $1,000 (R is free, SPSS/Stata annual licenses vary)


• Statistician Consultation: $1,000 - $5,000 (e.g., 10-25 hours @ $100-$200/hr)


• Total for 4a: $16,000 - $46,000

4b: Qualitative Data Preparation & Analysis

• Activities:


• Transcription of Interviews (external service or RA time)


• Data Familiarization (reading transcripts)


• Coding (thematic analysis, grounded theory, etc.)


• Developing Themes & Categories


• Verification (e.g., inter-coder reliability checks if applicable)


• Interpretation of Qual Results


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 4-8 weeks (part-time/full-time for coding, analysis, interpretation)


• RA: 8-12 weeks (part-time/full-time for transcription, data prep, initial coding)


• (Transcription: 1 hour audio = 4-6 hours manual transcription time for RA, or 1 hour audio = $60-$180 for service)


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (PI/RA salary): $25,000 - $60,000


• Transcription Service (30 interviews, avg. 60 min each = 1800 min): $2,700 - $5,400 (if external)


• Qualitative Data Analysis Software: $0 - $1,500 (NVivo, ATLAS.ti, Dedoose - many universities have licenses)


• Total for 4b: $27,700 - $66,900

4c: Mixed Methods Integration & Interpretation

This is where the "mixed" truly happens – the comparison, connecting, and integration of the two data sets.

• Activities:


• Comparing Quant & Qual Findings (convergence, divergence, elaboration)


• Developing Integrated Narrative/Findings


• Creating Mixed Methods Visualizations (e.g., joint displays)


• Refining Interpretation based on integration


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 3-6 weeks (intensive, often collaborative)


• RA: 2-4 weeks (assisting with joint displays, specific comparisons)


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (PI/RA salary): $10,000 - $25,000


• Workshops/Meeting Space (if co-located): $0 - $500


• Total for 4c: $10,000 - $25,500

Phase 5: Reporting & Dissemination

• Activities:


• Writing the Full Report/Manuscript


• Creating Presentations/Briefs


• Submission to Journals/Conferences


• Addressing Reviewer Feedback


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 6-12 weeks (part-time/full-time writing)


• RA: 2-4 weeks (assisting with references, formatting, tables/figures)


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (PI/RA salary): $20,000 - $50,000


• Journal Publication Fees: $0 - $3,000 (Open Access fees can be significant)


• Conference Travel & Registration: $1,000 - $5,000 (per conference, 1-2 anticipated)


• Professional Editor (optional): $500 - $2,000


• Total for 5: $21,500 - $60,000

Phase 6: Project Management & Contingency (Throughout Study)

• Activities: Overall project oversight, administrative tasks, team meetings, budget tracking, course corrections.


• Time Estimate:


• PI: 10-20% of total project time


• RA: 5-10% of total project time


• Cost Estimate:


• Personnel (built into above phases, but consider a dedicated admin if a large project): Included in phase totals.


• General Office Supplies: $200 - $500


• Contingency (ALWAYS include!): 10-20% of total direct costs

Summary of Estimated Time & Costs

Key Variables Influencing Your Estimates

• Sample Sizes: Larger N for surveys, more interviews will drastically increase time and cost.


• Participant Characteristics: Hard-to-reach populations require more effort/incentives.


• Data Collection Mode:


• Surveys: Online is cheapest, paper mail is expensive (printing, postage, data entry).


• Interviews: Virtual is cheaper, in-person increases travel costs and time.


• Team Expertise: If you have internal expertise (statistician, qualitative analyst), you save on external consultation. Less experienced RAs require more PI oversight.


• Software Licenses: Free (R, Jamovi, Zotero) vs. Paid (SPSS, NVivo, EndNote).


• Transcription Strategy: Manual (RA time) vs. Service (direct cost).


• Institutional Overhead/Indirect Costs: Universities often charge 30-70% on top of direct costs for facilities, administration, etc. This is NOT included in the above estimate.


• Dissemination Goals: Few journal articles vs. many conference presentations, policy briefs, etc.


• Complexity of Integration: Highly complex integration strategies (e.g., multi-stage sequential with specific mixing designs) require more dedicated time.

Pro Tips for Budgeting Mixed Methods Studies:

• Start with the Integration: How will your quant and qual data inform each other? This will dictate instrument design, sampling, and analysis approaches, directly impacting time/cost.


• Phased Approach: Break down the study into clear phases. This helps with managing the budget and re-evaluating estimates as you progress.


• Pilot Test Everything: Surveys, interview protocols, recruitment materials, even analysis approaches on small data subsets. This saves significant time and money later.


• Leverage Existing Resources: Use university licenses for software, existing contact lists for recruitment, or internal statistical support.


• Detailed Work Plan: Create a Gantt chart or detailed timeline. Assign specific tasks and estimated hours/days to each team member.


• Overestimate, Don't Underestimate: Research always takes longer and costs more than you think. Build in that contingency!


• Justify Every Item: For grant applications, clearly justify why each cost and time allocation is necessary.


• Consider Free Tools: For analysis (R, Jamovi for quant; QDA Miner Lite for qual), project management (Trello, Asana), and referencing (Zotero).


• Communicate Regularly: Ensure all team members understand the budget and timeline constraints.