It all starts when you write clear objectives for your project. The specific question(s) guide the entire project, from the structure and content of the survey, to the selection of your sample, to the final analysis of the data. Use the following link to evaluate and improve your Research Questions.

Once you have carefully written your overall questions and are clear about the purpose of the survey, you can begin developing the survey instrument. The first step is to write an introductory paragraph. This should be brief and accomplish several important tasks. This paragraph summarizes the purpose of the survey, explains why it is important, and convinces the reader that their participation is valued and important for the success of the project. A couple of sample introductory paragraphs can be found by following the Introduction link.

When it comes to writing the items for your survey you will want to avoid some of the common pitfalls. Many surveys use ambiguous questions such as “How often do you exercise? Rarely, sometimes, often.” While we know that “often” is more than “sometimes” we have no way of knowing whether one person’s often is another’s sometimes. So when we go to analyze the data, we have no way to know what the data actually means. Ambiguity, double-barreled, jargon, etc. are all flaws that are easy to avoid if you are looking for them. Follow the Item Pitfalls link to see an explanation and examples of the common problems.

Choosing the right scale, and avoiding the common mistakes will make data more useful and valid. Follow the Scales link to explore a variety of scale types or the Scales Pitfalls link to learn how to avoid the most common problems in survey scales.

Some surveys can look dense and foreboding, can seem boring and uninteresting, or be simply look confusing. Using good design techniques will help you get a higher response rate and result in better data. Follow the Survey Design link to get a quick overview of good design practices.

Once you have created your survey, it is time to make sure you will get the information you are asking for. There are three easy steps you can use to validate the survey. Follow the Validation link to learn more about face validity, verbal protocols, and pilot testing survey instruments.

Ok, with a well written and valid instrument in hand, you are ready to think about who you are going to send the survey to. You may be planning to send it out to everyone and see who returns it. This approach will usually result in biased data that do not honestly reflect the group you are interested in. Unless the group is small, using a sampling process will allow you to devote more time and energy in getting a high rate of return, and will lead to better judgments about the population as a whole. Follow the Sampling link to learn about types of sampling processes or the Sample Size link to get an estimate of how large a sample you need to make valid interpretations about the population as a whole. For a more thorough discussion of sampling follow the Survey Primer link.

Once you know who you are going to survey, you will need to apply for Human Subjects Approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). This is a group of faculty and Administrators who evaluate research proposals to ensure the safety and health of subjects in all types of research. If you have not applied to the IRB already please follow the Human Subjects link. If you have applied and have not heard back in three weeks, contact the office of Research and Graduate Studies.

Getting a good response rate is perhaps the hardest part of survey research. The rule of thumb is that you need a 50% response rate to be able to generalize the results to the population you are surveying. If you get less than 50% the danger is that the people who respond are likely to be different from the population in important ways. They may be more involved with, or passionate about, the topic. When the people who respond are different from the population, it leads to biased results. To avoid this you need to approach the distribution and collection of surveys with a careful strategy. Follow the Response Rate link to learn about several successful strategies that will help you get good information that you can really use.

Data Analysis can sometimes seem overwhelming. As the surveys pour in, what are some strategies for dealing with the information that will help you make sense of it all? Well, to start with, go back to the original research question. You designed the survey to answer a specific set of questions so the analysis should focus on that task. The Data Analysis link offers a few suggestions for interpreting data using statistical software. Use this link when you are trying to figure out what the data means.

Finally, you have your data analyzed and you are ready to prepare a report to share your insights with the world. Follow the Writing Reports link to learn about effective presentation strategies, what to include, what to leave out, and how to best display your results.