Research partnerships
Every test on Match.hr produces evidence on reliability, norms and fairness, in more than one language. We want that evidence examined by researchers who are independent of us, and we are setting up the first collaborations now.
We have no named research partners yet. If you would like to be among the first, we would like to hear what you have in mind.
Who we would like to work with
Universities and research groups
Departments of psychology, education or organisational science with a line of research in measurement or selection.
Master's students
A thesis on an applied question, such as measurement invariance across two language versions, supervised by your own university.
PhD candidates
Longer projects that need repeated analyses as samples grow, for example on norms, adaptive testing or criterion validity.
Psychometricians and statisticians
Help with item response models, factor analysis, DIF methods and the design of norming studies.
I/O psychologists
Practitioners who can judge whether a test and its report make sense for real decisions about selection and development.
External reviewers
Independent psychologists who assess a test and its documentation, so a test can reach the External review level.
Questions worth researching
A clear question matters more to us than a large dataset. These are examples of questions the platform raises; your own proposal is just as welcome.
- Is the factor structure the same in the English, Dutch and German versions of a test?
- Do items function differently across groups, where it is lawful to analyse this?
- How well do scores relate to later performance in a specific role?
- Can an IRT model shorten a test without losing precision?
- How stable are personality scores across a test–retest interval?
- How should norm groups be defined per country, language and role?
How a collaboration starts
Send a proposal
Describe the question, the method you have in mind and, for students, who supervises you. Half a page is enough to start.
Check feasibility
Together we look at whether the data can answer the question, whether the sample is large enough and whether the use is lawful. Ethics approval from your institution comes first where it is required.
Sign a data agreement
The agreement fixes the purpose, the anonymisation, who has access, how long, the security measures and how results are published.
Analyse and publish
You do the research and draw your own conclusions. Authorship is agreed before the work starts, and findings can feed into the test's technical manual.
Strict data governance
Candidates took a test to be assessed, not to be studied. Research use therefore stays within narrow limits.
- Only anonymised or aggregated data, without names, contact details or free-text answers
- Used only for the purpose written in the data agreement
- Access limited to the named researchers and the agreed period
- Small groups are suppressed so individuals cannot be singled out
- Data is only shared where the agreements with the organisations involved allow it
- Personal test data is never reused for another purpose without its own legal basis under the GDPR
Our review criteria follow the structure of the COTAN and EFPA test review models. Match.hr is not affiliated with or endorsed by either organisation.
What a collaboration cannot promise
Access to data is not a right that comes with a partnership. It depends on the question, the legal basis and the size of the sample, and for some tests the data will be too thin for a while yet. Item content of tests owned by external publishers is only shared with their permission. We will never ask you to reach a particular result.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns the data and the results?
Assessment data is collected for the organisations that use Match.hr, and candidates keep their rights under the GDPR. Researchers receive anonymised data for one agreed purpose and do not become its owner. Your thesis or article is your own work; the data agreement only sets conditions such as confidentiality of item content and a check that no individual can be identified.
Will results be published if they are unfavourable to a test?
Yes. Before publication we can point out factual errors and passages that would reveal confidential items or personal data, but we do not change your conclusions. A test that turns out weaker than expected is useful knowledge, and it goes into the technical manual as well.
How does co-authorship work?
We agree on it before the research begins, following the usual authorship criteria in your field: a substantial contribution to the design, analysis or interpretation, and to writing or revising the text. Lab members are only co-authors when they meet those criteria, not because the data came from Match.hr.
Can I use Match.hr data for my master's thesis?
Possibly. You need a supervisor at your university, a question the data can answer and enough time for the data agreement and any ethics review. Get in touch early, ideally before your proposal is final, so we can tell you honestly whether the sample is large enough.
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