Survey Data and Best Practices
Quantitative Surveys
Surveys are a powerful tool to gather quantitative and qualitative data and better understand the studied issue or phenomena. Surveys enable researchers to the quantify large amounts of information and include opportunities for participants to provide open-ended responses. Whether you want to know more about a specific population, generalize attitudes and opinions, or understand the effectiveness of an intervention, surveys support diverse types of inquiry. The information and resources are available to assist you in the process of conducting your own survey research (citations for each resource can be found at the bottom of the page).
The following outlines the standard survey design and respective resources to facilitate the development for each section:
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A survey design provides a quantitative or numeric description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population. From sample results, the researcher generalizes or makes claims about the population.
Download the survey design tip sheet here to guide your to ensure the design supports your study objectives here (bonus: includes additional sources for survey design).
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Identify the purpose of survey research for your study. This purpose is to generalize from a sample to a population so that inferences can be made about some characteristic, attitude, or behavior of the population. It is important to provide a reference to this purpose from one of the survey method texts.
Download the Survey Design Checklist here to guide your survey method.
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Indicate why a survey is the preferred type of data collection procedure for the study. In this rationale, consider the advantages of survey designs, such as the economy of the design and the rapid turnaround in data collection. Discuss the advantage of identifying attributes of a large population from a small group of individuals.
As an example, you can download this study that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of conducting an internet based survey. This study also serves to illustrate how the survey design is guided by the objectives of the research.
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Indicate whether the survey will be cross-sectional or longitudinal. Will the data be collected at one point in time or over time?
Click here to learn more about the difference between cross-sectional or longitudinal studies and respective sample studies that utilize these different methodologies.
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Specify the form of data collection. Fink (2002) identifies four types: self-administered, questionnaires, interviews, structured record reviews, and structured observations. The data collection may also involve creating a Web-based or Internet survey and administering it online. Regardless of the form of data collection, provide a rationale for the procedure, using arguments based on its strengths and weaknesses, costs, data availability, and convenience.
Click here to download an introductory chapter that discusses the four typologies of surveys and the ways in which researchers can use one or several types in conjunction with one another.
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Specify the characteristics of the population and the sampling procedure as well as the population in the study. Identify the size of this population and the means of identifying individuals in the population.
Click here to download a peer-reviewed article that demonstrates how researchers can determine the appropriate sample size for their respective studies.
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Identify the selection process for individuals. Does each individual in the population have equal probability of being selected (a systematic or probabilistic sample) or are respondents chosen based on their convenience and availability (convenience sample)?
Click here to download the introductory chapter that examines the different types of survey participant modalities and sampling processes.
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Discuss the procedures for selecting the sample and the specific characteristics of the population. Identify whether the sample cointains individuals with the characteristics in the same proportion as the characteristics that appear in the entire population.
Download the complete Survey Cheat Sheet to outline all aspects of the survey design process.
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 Click on the image to access survey software and resources |
