There is now some misunderstanding about time study methods, both at the theoretical and the practical level. Ambiguity arises especially regarding the terminology, the units of measure, the experimental design and the statistical treatment of data. Hence, there is the need for a good practice guideline (GPG), which must be simple and concise enough to encourage widespread adoption. The guide should ensure comparability of results and repeatability of experiments, both fundamental elements of the scientific method. In turn, this will facilitate international network building and research coordination, which are the ultimate goals of the EU COST Programme. The purpose of this guide is to answer this need. This is a simple and quick how-to guide that can help harmonize work study methods. It is designed for the field researcher who needs quick access to sound study practice, even when lacking strong theoretical skills in work science and/or statistics. Contrary to a scholarly book, this manual goes from practice to theory and not the reverse. In fact, this manual does not replace the many scholarly books dealing with operational studies and the related statistical methods. Readers are encouraged to consult them, if they wish to deepen their understanding of the subject. The reference section contains a partial list of authoritative sources, which readers can use to this very end.

Type of Case
Printed publication (book, sourcebook, journal article…)

Publisher
CNR IVALSA

Region
Global

Biome
All

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
Production