Methodology · Compensation Research
A transparent framework for comparing compensation sources while preserving geography, level, date and package assumptions.
Research questions
- What geography and level does each salary source represent?
- Is the figure base pay, total compensation or an estimate?
- What date and sample population does the source describe?
- How should equity, bonus and benefits be treated?
- Which differences are source-method differences rather than market changes?
Method
- Record source, publication date, observation date and geography.
- Keep base, variable compensation, equity and benefits as separate fields where possible.
- Do not merge incompatible salary populations into one number.
- Show ranges and assumptions when the source supports them.
- Flag stale, incomplete or self-reported data instead of silently treating it as precise.
Expected outputs
- Source register
- Compensation schema
- Assumption table
- Comparison notes
- Dated report
Publication rule
No findings, sample sizes, percentages or compensation figures are implied by this methodology page. A published result requires an actual source set, dated observations and a disclosed limitations section.