Frequently Asked Questions

1. What kind of research report should I expect?

   Our reports have the following structure:

   1. Title page
   2. Research Assignment As specified by the client, including clarification questions/answers, if any
   3. Section 1: Executive Summary
   4. Sections 2-N: As appropriate, given the nature of the research assignment; whenever possible research findings are organized into insight tables
   5. Section (N+1): Method and Challenges Describes the researcher’s approach to the assignment, including surprises and challenges they encountered along the way
   6. Section (N+2): Future Research Next steps the researcher would pursue if given more time
   7. Rough Notes Notes, links, ideas, etc. that the researcher recorded in the process of producing the main body of the report. Many clients find the “Rough Notes” section valuable.

   Note that all sources, including academic publications, articles from the popular press, websites, etc., are fully cited as footnotes in the body of the report.

   Research by its very nature involves a significant amount of uncertainty. As a result, the nature and outcome of a report are difficult to predict in advance. For example, the number of sections as described in point four above will be determined by the researcher on a case-by-case basis depending on how they feel the report materials are best organized. Every research assignment is different and each researcher applies their own creativity to tackling the assignment such that the length of any specific report is difficult to predict in advance.

2. How much does it cost?

   The price of your report depends on how long you ask the researcher to work on your assignment and how quickly you ask to have it completed.

   Here is the cost table:

   	1h of work	40h of work	80h of work
   21 day turn-around time			4000 credits
   14 day turn-around time		2000 credits
   1 day turn-around time	0 credits

   The costs listed above are in terms of research credits. Credits are US$1, but we make it easy to purchase them in large bundles to save you the hassle of having to go through a transaction each time. Further, we offer discounted rates if you decide you'd like to purchase 5000 credits:

   Credits	Price/Credit	Total Price
   100	$1.00	$100
   2000	$1.00	$2000
   5000	$0.90	$4500

3. What work duration should I specify?

   That depends on the nature of your research assignment. If you are unsure, try our 1-hour free service to make a research request. Within one day you will receive a proposal defining the scope of your research project and outlining the recommended research hours. Most Brainmaven assignments start with 40 hours of research. We check-in with clients at 10 or 20 hours to ensure the research is progressing as expected. At Brainmaven, we use an iterative research process: after 40 hours you receive what we call a working draft; that draft may be all you need, or it may be the jumping off point for further research. This puts you in control of the research process - clients use Brainmaven in this iterative fashion to get exactly the information they need.

4. Can I request work durations less than 40 hours?

   If you feel your request will take less than 40 hours of work, we encourage you to submit your assignment through our 1-hour free service or contact our research concierge. With our 1-hour free service our researchers will assess your request and provide you with a research proposal and hourly estimate which can be less than 40 hours. With our research concierge, we will discuss your research needs with you, help you to scope out your project and estimate research hours.

5. Will I receive a receipt that I can use for expense reimbursement?

   Yes. Upon payment for research credits, you will immediately receive a printable receipt posted to your account for the amount paid.

6. Will you work on any research assignment?

   No. Although we will tackle a very wide range of research assignments, we are not able to address everything. However, we will let you know within 24 hours of receiving your assignment whether: 1) we have accepted it, 2) we are not able to accept it, or 3) we need further clarification. If we need further clarification, then we will ask you specific questions in order to clarify or refine the objective of your assignment. Please keep in mind that our researchers are not topic experts but rather very good researchers.

7. Can you guarantee the right answer?

   No. However, we can guarantee that a smart person will work diligently on your research assignment for the duration that you specify. Our service is better described as synthesizing information rather than answering questions. Furthermore, many questions do not have a "right" answer. We will synthesize and organize information for you to better enable you to arrive at the answer you are seeking.

8. What if I am not happy with the quality of the report?

   When you receive your report, you will be invited to rate it. If you think it is excellent, good, or only mediocre, then please rate it accordingly. Keeping in mind the ambiguities associated with research, if you feel the report does not reflect what you would expect given the time that you paid for, then please let us know at support@brainmaven.com. You will receive a refund. At the same time, we will review the report ourselves. We will let you know whether we consider the report adequate in order to help you calibrate your own expectations of the service. See our Refund Policy for details.

9. What can I do to get the best value out of this service?

   Carefully articulate your research assignment. People are often so busy that they don’t take the time to think about what they really need to know. Our researchers and clients usually are able to understand each other, but sometimes that is after spending a few hours with preliminary reports that help the clients figure out what they are actually looking for. For many, that is a great value in and of itself. However, the more accurately and clearly you can communicate your research needs at the outset, the more efficiently we can synthesize and organize the relevant information to help you achieve your research goals.

10. Can I do anything I want with my report?

    Yes. You can make as many copies of the report as you like and distribute it in any way you choose. You may also sell copies of the report. Brainmaven retains the copyright to all reports.

11. What if I specify 40 hours but the researcher thinks that they have fully completed the research assignment after only 30 hours of work?

    In that case, the researcher will stop after 30 hours and you will be refunded the credits for the final 10 hours. However, most research assignments are sufficiently open-ended that this rarely occurs.