DCARF - Deakin Computer Assisted Research Facility

The Deakin Computer Assisted Research Facility (DCARF) is a state-of-the-art survey research laboratory based at the Melbourne campus of Deakin University, Australia. We were established in 2003 with the aid of an Australian Research Council Infrastructure grant.

DCARF conducts surveys and provides research services for university researchers; government agencies and non-profit organisations. DCARF meet world-best-practice standards for social research, and are committed to keeping abreast of modern research technologies. Through the continual improvement of the research process, we are able to collect high quality data that is accurate, timely and reliable, whilst adhering to the highest ethical standards.

DCARF conduct surveys using computer assisted telephone, mail, web and face-to-face methodologies. Surveys can be conducted on a specified list provided by the client, or the general population on any scale up to a national level. Each DCARF survey is individually tailored to specific needs, and can involve unstructured questions for in-depth interviews.

Most of the work conducted at DCARF includes a methodological or experimental component. This gives us specialist expertise in academic research and significantly contributes to the quality and efficiency of our data collection. We aim to be at the forefront of research design and methodology in Australia and conform to international standards for the collection, documentation, dissemination, and archiving of survey data.