Research Standards

How Howdy uses data

Howdy begins with primary administrative and institutional sources where they are available. Each article identifies the source, period, population and unit before drawing a conclusion.

Howdy calculates changes within a consistent source and definition. Data from different systems may be compared as separate signals, but they are not merged into a single total unless the populations are demonstrably compatible.

Statistical populations

Applications, admissions, visas, study permits, enrollment, SEVIS records, OPT participation and year-end permit stocks describe different stages or populations. A change in one measure is not treated as evidence that another changed by the same amount.

Applications

People or submissions recorded by an application system; not final enrollment.

Visas and permits

Administrative issuances or holders within the source's reporting period; not campus enrollment.

Enrollment

Students reported by institutions under the source's academic-period definition.

SEVIS records

Administrative F/M records; not necessarily unique people or new arrivals.

OPT

A post-study category included in relevant Open Doors headline totals.

Year-end stock

People holding valid status at a point in time; distinct from activity during the year.

Source hierarchy

Source priority is based on fitness for the question, not on a universal score. The usual order is primary administrative or official institutional data; authoritative research organizations; transparent surveys and secondary analysis; and clearly labeled practitioner observation.

Commercial surveys can help explain attitudes or intentions when their sample and limitations are available. They are not used alone to establish national market size, structural change or causality.

Practitioner observation

Insights from more than a decade of study-abroad counseling can help identify useful research questions. When practitioner experience is used, it is labeled separately and is not presented as a finding from administrative data or a representative survey.

Corrections

Factual and data errors are corrected after review. A substantive correction or revision may change the visible Updated date. Copyediting, formatting, internal-link, footer or metadata maintenance does not by itself change that date.

Updating research

Policy and data articles may be reviewed when the relevant primary source releases a substantive update. The latest available release is not added automatically when its population, period or status is not comparable with the published series.