The initial meeting lasts approximately one hour and is usually attended only by the consultant who will be the primary lead on the project, although in some cases the SCS Operations Manager or Director may sit in. The goal of the initial meeting is to allow the consultant to obtain a working knowledge of the problem to be solved. Potential solutions may be proposed, but the project is usually not completed during this meeting. Topics covered at the meeting will include the following:

• Research objectives
• Work performed to date
• Data collection
• Statistical methodologies to be used
• Project timeline
• Project cost

For internal OSU clients, the initial meeting is usually held in 328 Cockins Hall (1958 Neil Ave.) on the Main Campus. Please refer to this map for directions. Initial meetings with external clients are typically held at the client's place of business.

Although clients are not required to bring anything to the meeting, any materials that can help the consultant to better understand the research being conducted are helpful. Examples of items to bring include:

• Example data (either electronic or paper format)
• Analyses already performed
• Journal articles the consultant may need to read for contextual knowledge
• Any abstracts that have been written about the research being conducted

In addition, university students seeking consultation are encouraged to bring their advisor to the initial meeting to help formulate the problem and set appropriate limits on the assistance provided by the SCS.