Survey paradata, information about the process of survey data collection, has steadily increased in the breadth and depth of use. From modest beginnings in the 1980s as trace files of the fields entered, keys pressed, and timings during computer-assisted interviews, the value of the information for addressing significant challenges in the survey process has been explored and applied in increasingly diverse ways.

A number of survey organizations have recently implemented or enhanced major management systems with paradata as a central feature. As well, computer-assisted recorded interviewing (CARI) seems on the verge of becoming a powerful new form of paradata with the potential to qualitatively enhance important elements of the survey design and survey collection processes. In this paper we review these recent developments of paradata research and application.

At the 2009 FedCasic conference held in Washington DC a number of presentations focused on using paradata to monitor and control survey quality. Compared to similar sessions in prior years, the presentations this year seemed notable in terms of the maturity of the processes and the production experiences described.