Survey Resources

Here is a collection of resources for surveying:

Interested in creating your own survey? We’re here to help! Before you do so, we recommend you review our list of campus constructs for which we currently collect survey data, our survey calendar to get an idea of the best timing to launch your survey, and some guidelines on protecting confidentiality when administering surveys.

Below you will find help and guidance for planning a survey, writing survey questions, choosing the best sampling method, and more. These resources include generalized research about psychometrics and probability, best practices from Qualtrics, and recommendations that are unique to Purdue University.

The collection is constantly growing. If you know a useful resource about surveys, please share it with IDA+A at idata@purdue.edu.

• Qualtrics Handbook of Question Design
• Overview of Planning a Survey
  • Planning Timeline
  • Qualtrics Survey Design
  • Survey Questions - Objective Scales
  • Survey Validation
• Samples and Response Rates

References and Useful Readings

• Bennett & Nair (2010)  A recipe for effective participation rates for web-based surveys
• Groves, R. M., Fowler Jr, F. J., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M., Singer, E., & Tourangeau, R. (2011). Survey methodology (2 ^nd edition). John Wiley & Sons.
• Kung et al. (2018) Are attention check questions a threat to scale validity?
• Laird et al. (2008) How often is often revisited: The meaning and linearity of vague quantifiers used on the National Survey of Student Engagement
• Porter et al. (2004) Multiple surveys of students and survey fatigue
• Van Vaerenbergh & Thomas (2013) Response styles in survey research
• Zickar (2020) Measurement development and evaluation