Analyzing survey data in marketing research: A guide for academics and postgraduate students

Numerous marketing scholars have been overly loyal to seminal (and out-dated) analytical processes when using surveys. If this continues, these individuals may receive rejection decisions, as the standards of the so-called publishing game have increased. Accordingly, from an Associate Editor perspective, this commentary provides a contemporary guide (with thirteen stages) on how survey data can be effectively analyzed. This covers a series of basic techniques (like treating missing values, presenting profiling information about samples, and undertaking descriptive statistical analyses), alongside describing some scale purification tools and several complex procedures (e.g., running tests for various forms of reliability and validity, addressing common method variance, and testing for endogeneity bias). Then, some conclusions and methodological recommendations are offered to help authors to advance theory and practice with robust survey data. It is anticipated that these discussion points will facilitate debates among readers of the Journal of Strategic Marketing (and beyond) about the analysis of survey data.