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Crafting Effective Questionnaires for PhD Research: A Step-by-Step Guide

PhD Research

Do you know the major problems researchers can face if they don’t craft productive PhD research questionnaires ? They may be unable to replicate the research and are also unable to help the readers understand the answers of the research questions. And not only that, but crafting ineffective questionnaires for your PhD research, can lead to your entire research being a futile prospect. But the story takes a turn.

After extensive research, we have understood that there are basically 3 steps to craft effective questionnaires for your PhD research. In this blog, we are going to describe those 3 steps so that you not only craft effective questionnaires but also help others to craft Effective Questionnaires for your PhD research. So, let’s get started, shall we?

But wait 🤚!!! Do these three methods help you create good surveys for your PhD research? is the first query you ought to address to yourself. I mean, is there a crucial query you ought to have answered before diving into the subject? Please think through and then read the remaining blog.

Why is it necessary to design efficient questionnaires for PhD research? So you might not be able to create the ideal questionnaire for your PhD if you don’t know the reason. As a result, you could be asking, “What is the solution?” Please read the remaining posts on the blog to learn more about this.

Crafting effective questionnaires is crucial for PhD research for several reasons:

Obtaining reliable and valid data : Effective questionnaires ensure that the data collected is reliable and valid, which is essential for making accurate conclusions and recommendations based on the research findings.
Enhancing the credibility of the research : If a questionnaire is poorly constructed, it can undermine the credibility of the research and make it difficult to convince others of the findings.
Improving response rates : An effective questionnaire is more likely to be completed by respondents, resulting in higher response rates and more representative data.
Reducing bias : A well-crafted questionnaire reduces the potential for bias in the responses by ensuring that questions are clear, unbiased, and focused on the research objectives.
Saving time and resources : By ensuring that the questionnaire is well-designed, researchers can save time and resources by collecting data that is directly relevant to the research question.
Facilitating data analysis : An effective questionnaire can make data analysis easier and more accurate by ensuring that the questions are structured in a logical and consistent manner.

Hence, crafting an effective questionnaire is essential for obtaining reliable and valid data, enhancing the credibility of the research, improving response rates, reducing bias, saving time and resources, and facilitating data analysis. So, let’s jump into knowing the answers to these questions.

PhD research questionnaires development and validation

Before moving with this part, we have something important to discuss regarding the development of the PhD research questions. Can you guess what? It is as important as knowing the development process of PhD research questions.

Developing effective research questions is an essential step in the process of conducting a PhD research project. Here are some tips to help you develop effective PhD research questions:

Start with a broad topic : Begin by identifying a broad topic area that you are interested in and that has not been extensively researched. The topic should be significant and relevant to your field of study.
Review existing literature : Conduct a thorough review of existing literature to identify research gaps and potential areas of exploration.
Narrow down your focus : Once you have identified a research gap, narrow down your focus by formulating research questions that are specific, focused, and clear. Avoid broad and vague questions that are difficult to answer.
Make sure your research questions are feasible : Your research questions should be feasible and answerable within the timeframe and resources available for your PhD project.
Test your questions : Share your research questions with your supervisor and peers to get feedback and refine them further.
Make sure your research questions are original : Ensure that your research questions are original and contribute to the existing body of knowledge in your field.
Revise and refine : Continuously revise and refine your research questions throughout the PhD project as you gain more knowledge and insights.

Remember that developing effective PhD research questions is an iterative process and requires time, effort, and collaboration with your supervisor and peers.

Now, another question can come in our mind which is “why validation is needed for PhD research questionnaires?” It will help you decide whether to validate the questionnaires or not. So, let us know the answer to this question and then decide.

Validation is essential for PhD research questionnaires for several reasons:

Ensuring reliability : Validation helps ensure that the questionnaire measures what it is intended to measure consistently across different participants and situations. This increases the validity of the data that is gathered.
Minimizing measurement errors : Validation helps identify and minimize measurement errors that could lead to inaccurate data and potentially flawed research conclusions.
Increasing validity : Validation helps ensure that the questionnaire is measuring the construct or concept it is intended to measure. This increases the validity of the data collected and the research conclusions.
Enhancing credibility : A validated questionnaire enhances the credibility of the research and can make it easier to convince others of the research findings.
Improving research quality : A validated questionnaire can lead to better quality research by ensuring that the data collected is relevant, reliable, and valid.
Meeting ethical standards : Validating the questionnaire helps ensure that participants are not subjected to unnecessary or irrelevant questions, which is important for meeting ethical standards in research.

Hence, validation is needed for PhD research questionnaires to ensure reliability, minimize measurement errors, increase validity, enhance credibility, improve research quality, and meet ethical standards.

Validating a PhD research questionnaire involves several steps. Here are some key steps to consider:

Develop a clear research question : The first step in validating a questionnaire is to develop a clear research question that the questionnaire is designed to answer.
Determine the type of validity: There are different types of validity that a questionnaire can have, such as content validity, construct validity, criterion-related validity, and face validity. Determine which type(s) of validity are most relevant to your research.
Develop the questionnaire: Develop the questionnaire based on the research question and the type(s) of validity being assessed. Ensure that the questions are clear, unbiased, and relevant to the research objectives.
Conduct a pilot study : Administer the questionnaire to a small sample of participants (e.g., 10-15) to identify any problems with the questionnaire and assess the validity of the questions.
Evaluate the questionnaire : Evaluate the questionnaire for content validity, construct validity, criterion-related validity, and face validity based on the data collected from the pilot study.
Refine the questionnaire : Refine the questionnaire based on the feedback received during the pilot study and the validity assessment.
Administer the questionnaire : Administer the final version of the questionnaire to the target population.
Analyze the data : Analyze the data collected from the questionnaire to determine the reliability and validity of the questionnaire.
Report the results : Report the results of the validity assessment in the research report, including the methods used to assess validity, the results of the assessment, and any limitations of the questionnaire.

Hence, validating a PhD research questionnaire involves developing a clear research question, determining the type(s) of validity to be assessed, developing the questionnaire, conducting a pilot study, evaluating the questionnaire, refining the questionnaire, administering the questionnaire, analyzing the data, and reporting the results.

Now, it’s time to go to the 2nd step which can help you a little more in crafting better questions in PhD research.

Types of validation of PhD research questionnaires

Now, it’s time to understand the different types of validation of the PhD research questionnaire. But again , the questioning will not end. Why do we need to know about different types of validation of PhD research questionnaires?

Knowing about different types of validation of PhD research questionnaires is important for several reasons:

Ensuring the reliability and validity of data : Different types of validation can help ensure that the data collected from the questionnaire is reliable and valid, which is essential for making accurate conclusions and recommendations based on the research findings.
Selecting the appropriate type of validation : Depending on the research question and the type of data being collected, different types of validation may be more appropriate. Knowing about different types of validation can help researchers select the most appropriate type(s) of validation for their research.
Enhancing the credibility of the research : A well-validated questionnaire enhances the credibility of the research and can make it easier to convince others of the research findings.
Improving research quality : Validating the questionnaire can lead to better quality research by ensuring that the data collected is relevant, reliable, and valid.

Now, I think there is no question left in this part except knowing the types of validation of PhD research questionnaires. If you have any questions in your mind, then you can comment below so that we can update the blog. So, let us jump into the answer to this question.

There are several types of validation of PhD research questionnaires. Some of the most typical varieties are listed below:

Content validity : Content validity refers to the extent to which the questionnaire items adequately cover the intended content area. To assess content validity, researchers typically seek input from subject matter experts or use established guidelines or criteria to evaluate the relevance of the questionnaire items.
Construct validity : Construct validity refers to the extent to which the questionnaire items measure the intended construct or concept. To assess construct validity, researchers may use statistical techniques, such as factor analysis or confirmatory factor analysis, to examine how well the questionnaire items align with the underlying construct.
Criterion-related validity : Criterion-related validity refers to the extent to which the questionnaire items are related to an external criterion or standard that is known to be related to the construct of interest. To assess criterion-related validity, researchers may compare the questionnaire scores to scores on a standardized test or other measures of the same construct.
Face validity : Face validity refers to the extent to which the questionnaire items appear to be relevant and appropriate to the participants. To assess face validity, researchers may ask participants to review the questionnaire and provide feedback on the clarity, relevance, and appropriateness of the items.
Concurrent validity : Concurrent validity refers to the extent to which the questionnaire items correlate with an external criterion measured at the same time. For example, if a questionnaire is designed to measure depression, researchers may compare the questionnaire scores to scores on a depression scale administered at the same time.
Predictive validity : Predictive validity refers to the extent to which the questionnaire items predict future behaviour or outcomes related to the construct of interest. For example, if a questionnaire is designed to measure job satisfaction, researchers may use the questionnaire scores to predict future job performance or turnover.

Hence, the most common types of validation of PhD research questionnaires include content validity, construct validity, criterion-related validity, face validity, concurrent validity, and predictive validity.

Principles and methods of PhD research questionnaires

We will divide this blog into two parts, in one part, we will describe the principles of PhD research questionnaires and in the next part, we will describe the methods of PhD research questionnaires. So, let us start the blog with the first part.

Understanding the principles of PhD research questionnaires is important because it enables a researcher to design effective and relevant questionnaires for their research. By following these principles, the researcher can ensure that the questions are clear, relevant, specific, feasible, original, testable, and significant, which will help them to gather accurate and useful data to answer their research questions.

Additionally, understanding the methods of designing and administering research questionnaires will help the researcher to avoid common pitfalls and mistakes in the process, such as asking biased or leading questions, administering the questionnaire to an inappropriate population, or failing to pilot test the questionnaire. Ultimately, a well-designed research questionnaire can be a valuable tool for gathering data in a PhD research project and can contribute to the development of new knowledge in the researcher’s field of study.

When formulating research questions for a PhD project, there are several principles that you should keep in mind:

Clarity : Your research questions should be clear and concise so that readers can easily understand what you are investigating.
Relevance : Your research questions should be relevant to your field of study and contribute to the existing body of knowledge.
Specificity : Your research questions should be specific enough to guide your research and help you to focus on the key issues that you want to explore.
Feasibility : Your research questions should be feasible to answer given the resources and time available for your PhD project.
Originality : Your research questions should be original and innovative so that they contribute to the development of new knowledge in your field.
Testability : Your research questions should be testable through empirical research methods so that you can gather data to support or refute your hypotheses.
Significance : Your research questions should be significant in terms of their potential impact on your field of study, and should address important research gaps or unanswered questions.

By following these principles, you can develop research questions that will guide your PhD project and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in your field.

Now, it’s time to know the second part of this question which is the methods of PhD research questionnaires. It is the last step for us to craft better questionnaires for PhD research.

Research questionnaires can be a useful tool for gathering data in a PhD research project. When designing a research questionnaire, you should consider the following methods:

Identify the research questions : The first step is to identify the research questions that you want to answer. Your questionnaire should be designed to collect data that will help you to answer these questions.
Choose the appropriate type of questions : Decide on the type of questions you will use, such as open-ended or closed-ended questions. Closed-ended questions are usually easier to analyze and quantify, while open-ended questions can provide more in-depth and nuanced responses.
Determine the format of the questionnaire : The questionnaire can be administered online or in person, and can be structured or unstructured. The format will depend on the nature of your research questions and the target population.
Develop the questions : Develop clear and concise questions that are easy to understand and answer. Avoid using jargon or technical language that may be unfamiliar to your respondents.
Pilot tests the questionnaire : Before administering the questionnaire to your target population, conduct a pilot test with a small group of people to identify any potential issues or misunderstandings.
Administer the questionnaire : Once the questionnaire is finalized, administer it to your target population. You may need to provide instructions or assistance to ensure that respondents understand the questions and how to answer them.
Analyze the data : After collecting the data, analyze it using statistical or qualitative methods, depending on the nature of the data and research questions.

By using these methods, you can develop an effective research questionnaire that will help you to collect data and answer your research questions.

But wait!!! It’s not over yet. I hope you are a research enthusiast who wants to know more about creating better PhD research questions . Also, if you want us to help you in this matter, you can definitely contact us with the given contact information on the website.

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Assessing Research-Doctorate Programs: A Methodology Study (2003)

Chapter: appendix d: sample questionnaires.

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

Appendix D Sample Questionnaires {These questionnaires are subject to further review and revision.) 1. Institutional Questionnaire 2. Program Questionnaire 3. Faculty Questionnaire 4. Student Questionnaires a. Questionnaire for Acimittecl-to-Cancliclacy Doctoral Students b. Questionnaire for Program Gracluates 105

106 Institutional Questionnaire To the institutional coordinator: This questionnaire is intended to collect data about university-provided resources that are available to all doctoral programs. Typically, the ideal respondent will be in the university's office of institutional research. Most of the questions apply to all programs. One, on laboratory space, applies only to the sciences (including some social sciences). In listing programs, please refer to the attached taxonomy and answer for those programs that are present at your institution. I. For the libraries at your institution: (Please enter the average over the past three years) a. What is the average size of your professional library staff in total FTEs? b. What is the average annual library budget? c. What is the average annual budget for acquisition of books? d. A, ~ What is the average annual budget for acquisition of: print journals electronic journals ? What is the average annual budget for microprint and electronic databases? 2. Is health care insurance available to graduate students uncler an institutional plan? Yes No a. If available, health care insurance is made available to: ~ Students only ~ Students end faculty b. If available, what is the level of institutional support? (Check all that apply) Institution covers premium costs for: Teaching assistants ~ Research assistants ~ All other full-time graduate students ~ Al] graduate students Institution covers partial premium costs for: Teaching assistants ~ Research assistants ~ All other full-time graduate students ~ All graduate students No institutional contribution for: ~ Teaching assistants ~ Research assistants ~ Other graduate students 3. Does the university provide childcare facilities that are available to graduate students? O Yes ~1 No a. If yes, is the cost subsidized by the institution? ~ Yes :] No b. If not, does the institution provide a listing of childcare providers to graduate students? O Yes ~ No 4. Is university-subsidized student housing available to doctoral students? :] Yes ~ No APPENDIX D

APPENDIX D If so, what is the percentage of the doctoral students who live in university-provided housing? 5. Are graduate students are unionized on your campus? ~ Yes ~ No If yes, ~ Some students ~ All students If yes, are teaching assistants unionized? ~ Yes ~ No If yes, ~ Some teaching assistants ~ All teaching assistants If yes, are research assistants unionized? ~ Yes ~ No If yes, ~ Some research assistants ~ All research assistants? 6. Which of the following apply to the doctoral program at the institutional level? a. The institution confers awards to honor graduate students for teaching and/or research. ~ Yes ~ No b. Awards are given to faculty for mentoring or other activities that promote scholarship of doctoral students. Yes ~ No c. The institution provides some form of travel support for doctoral students to attend professional meetings. ~ Yes ~ No d. There is an organized program at the institutional level to help doctoral students improve their teaching skills. ~ Yes ~ No e. The institution provides an office that assists doctoral students in learning about employment opportunities. ~ Yes ~ No 7. For the information displayed in the following table, please provide in a file sent by small to rdpilof~as~ed~ For the each doctoral program in science (including the social sciences) and engineering at your institution, what is the net assignable square feet (NASF) of research space dedicated to the program (exclude space that is used only for undergraduates)? Please use the same definitions for NASF and research space that are used in the NSF Survey of Scientific and Engineering Research Facilities. See "Taxonomy] for a list of the program iEelds in the study, and provide the information in the Emai! i ile for only those doctoral programs that are offered at your institution. 107

APPENDIX D Program #3 108 Program Research space NASF Shared space with other programs (Y/N) Program #1 Pro cram #2

APPENDIX D Background Information Program Questionnaire This information will enable the National Research Council to contact you if there are any questions about the data. It will also permit us to contact faculty for the purpose of administering a questionnaire to elicit reputational ratings and background! data ant! to contact students to obtain information about their perceptions of the practices and offerings ~ ~ ~ 1 of the doctoral program. Please note that in addition to the web questionnaire, we would like lists of faculty and previous employers to be sent to us via e-mail. Please indicate the doctoral program to which the following information applies 1. Please provide the name and e-mai! address of the program respondent who will serve as the primary contact with the graduate oro cram. Name: Title: E-mail address: Mailing Address: State Zip Cocle- If this is an interdisciplinary program, please list the departments affiliated with the program. For each individual identified in questions 2 and 3, please provide in a file sent by emai! to rdpilot~)nas.~du the information displayed in the table for the question. Program Faculty: For each faculty member or senior research fellow or associate who participates in your doctoral program by directing theses, serving on doctoral committees, or teaching graduate courses, please provide the following information. Name Rank Highest Gender Race/ US Citizen or Tenure E-mail l | Degree | (M or F) | Ethn city | Permanent | Status | Addres (Y/N) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 = Faculty Employment History: For each faculty member listed in Question 2 who joined your program within the past five years, please provide the institution, company, or organization where he or she was employed immediately before joining your institution. pros

110 Name Prior employer Position at that employer 4. For the doctoral students in your program, please provide the number of students that fall into each of the following categories. a. Total number of students: b. Status: Full-time Part-time Unknown c. Gentler: Male Female Unknown d. Citizenship: U.S. Permanent Resilient Temporary Visa Unknown cI. Race/Ethnicity (if U.S. citizen or Permanent Residents) American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander Black White Hispanic Mexican American Puerto Rican Other Multiracial Unknown e. Percentage of doctoral students with master's degree Program Information 5. Does your program have a mission statement? If so, what is the mission statement? (50 words or less) ~ Yes :] No If there are particular areas of research emphasis in your doctoral program, please choose from the subfields in ETaxonomy]: APPENDIX D

APPENDIX D 6. How many Ph.D.s have been awarded in the program in each of the past five years? (Note: Years span from July ~ to June 30) 2001-02 2000-01 1999-00 1998-99 1997-98- 7. For each of the academic years listed in the following table, enter the number of students who entered the program in the year and the number who completed their degrees in 4, 6, or 8, years or are still in the program. (Note: Years span from July 1 to June 30) Entering Number Student of Academic Entering Year Cohort Doctoral Students 1992 1993 1993-1994 1994-1995 1995-1996 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 Number of Students admitted to candidacy by the end of the 4th year of enrollment Of those admitted to candidacy, number who complete within 4 years Of those admitted to candidacy, number who complete within 6 years Of those admitted to candidacy, number who complete within 8 years Of those admitted to candidacy, how many are still enrolled after 8 years? . I_ 7a. Averaged over the past three years, what percent of entering students withdrew from the program before completing two years of study? % 7b. Averaged over the past three years, what has been the median time to degree for those who completed the program? (Note: the median time is the number of years it takes half of the number of students from the same entering year who are admitted to candidacy to complete their degree.) 8. Is a master's degree required of students prior to admission to your program? ~ Yes ~ No 9. What proportion of your full-time first-year doctoral students receive full support throughout their first year (tuition and an adequate living allowance provided as stipend or salary in program related work (TA or RA)?

112 10. How many years of full financial support could students entering your doctoral program expect to receive from your institution or an external source? 1. Over the past five years approximately what fraction of the first-year students in your program received financial support either from your institution or from extramural grants or fellowships? Tuition only Tuition and stipend- Stipend only- 12. What proportion of currently enrolled doctoral students in your program (included in multiple categories if appropriate) are currently supported by: Externally funded fellowships: Externally funded traineeships: Externally funded research assistantships: University funded teaching assistantships: University funded research assistantships: University funded tuition waivers, fellowships, or stipends: 13. Averaged over the past three years, what are the average and minimum GRE scores for students accepted into the program? Average Verbal GRE: Minimum Verbal GRE: Average Quantitative GRE: Minimum Quantitative GRE: Do you require GRE subject scores for all students entering the program? ~ Yes ~ No 14. In each of the last three academic years, how many students did you accept into your doctoral program, and how many enrolled? 2000-2001 2001 -2002 2002-2003 Accepted Enrolled 15. What percentage of the doctoral students in your program have individually assigned workspaces for their exclusive use? TAs RAs All students 16. On average, how many courses per term is each graduate teaching assistant in the program expected to teach or assist a faculty member in teaching? With sole responsibility As an Assistant to a faculty member 17. Which of the following apply to your doctoral program? APPENDIX D

APPENDIX D a. The program confers awards to honor graduate students for teaching and/or research. ~ Yes ~1 No b. Awards are given to faculty for mentoring or other activities that promote scholarship of doctoral students. ~ Yes :] No The program provides some form of travel support for doctoral students to attend professional meetings. ~ Yes ~ No d. There is an organized program to help doctoral students improve their teaching skills. ~ Yes n No e. The program provides organized assistance to help doctoral students explore employment opportunities. Yes ~1 No 8. List up to 5 institutions with which your program normally competes for graduate students: Institution # 1 Institution #2- Institution #3 Institution #4 Institution #5 1 9. Does your program collect data about employment outcomes for your graduates? ~ Yes ~ No If yes, do you provide potential applicants with this information? ~ Yes ~ No 20. Please list those interdisciplinary centers in which doctoral students from your program participate (conduct research or teach). ~3

114 Faculty Questionnaire This questionnaire is part of the National Research Council's Pilot Test of the Assessment of Research Doctoral Programs. Your university has volunteered to participate in this pilot test to assist the National Research Council's study of the methodology used to assess doctoral programs. Further information about the methodology study may be found at www7.nationalacademies.org/resdoc/index.html You have been selected to receive this questionnaire because you are a member of the faculty who participates in the education of doctoral students at your university. This means that you either teach courses to doctoral students or supervise their dissertations. If this is not the case, please indicate that in question 1. The assessment of research doctoral programs is conducted approximately every ten years and consists of a reputational survey of doctoral programs and the collection of data about doctoral faculty and students in f~fty-seven areas of study. This questionnaire provides information that will assist the study in a number of ways: licit will help us construct a pool from which to select raters for the reputational survey; 2)it will provide us enough information about you that we can collect data on grants, citations, and publications from other sources; and Hit will permit a statistical description of the faculty in the graduate program or programs with which you are affiliated. Your answers will be treated as completely confidential by the National Research Council and will only be released as part of a statistical analysis. I. Program Identification a. Do you supervise dissertations, serve on doctoral committees, or teach graduate courses in a doctoral program? ~ Yes ~ No If your answer was "No", you do not need to complete the rest of the questionnaire. b. From the pulldown list, please choose the program of your primary affiliation/appointment tPull Down List of Res-Doc Programs] If you have difficulty locating your program on the list, please refer to the "Taxonomy] list with fields and subfields Please list all programs in which you supervise dissertations, serve on dissertation committees, or teach graduate courses and the average percentage of your time during the past year that you spent in all activities for each program with which you are associated. (Do not list programs where you are an outside reader.) Program Supervise dissertations Teach courses Serve on Percent of time spent in all (YIN) (YIN) dissertation activities for this program committees (YIN) ~ (total= IJ0%) ~ d. For the articles and books that you have published in the past five years, please list what fields you have published in Table 1. If you have a single publication that spans multiple fields, please indicate them and their fields in Table 2. APPENDIX D

APPENDIX D Table 1: Books and articles in a single field published in the past 3 years Field(see Taxonomy) ~ Articles ~ Books 1 1 ~ ' 1 1 1 Table 2: Books and articles in multiple fields published in the past 3 years Field (Enter all that apply) Articles Books II. Current Employment a. Department affiliation: b. Rank: ~ Instructor ~ Assistant Professor ~ Associate Professor ~ FullProfessor ~ Other c. Tenure status: ~ Tenure-track, not tenured Tenured ~ Non-tenure-track d. Year first employed at current institution: tIf employment was not continuous, please list year of most recent appointment at this institution.] Have you received an extramural grant or contract support in the past year? Yes ~ No f. Subfields of current research interest (refer to "Taxonomy] with subfields): Subfield # 1: Subfield #2: Subfield #3: g. Do you consider part of your research to be interdisciplinary? ~ Yes ~ No If so, what is the area of that research? h. Under what names or variants of your name have you published books or articles? III. Prior Experience What was your status prior to your current position? ~ Student ~ Postdoc ~ Faculty. ~ Other: Previous employer: Address: 115

116 IV. Educational Background City Title: Employment Sector: Industry (for profit) National laboratory State or local government Federal government agency International agency 4-year college or university 2-year college K- 12 school Hospital or clinic Foundation or nonprofit Military Other (specify: State/Country Zip Code- a. Highest degree earned: ~ Bachelor's ~ Master's ~ Ph.D. ~ Professional (M.D., J.D., D.V.M., for example) b. Institution that conferred highest degree: c. Field of highest degree: Other: d. Year of highest degree: tPulldown List] To what extent does the field of your current research, teaching, or professional activities differ from the field of your highest degree? ~ Very similar ~ Somewhat similar ~ Very different V. Demographic Information a. Date of birth: b. Gender: c. Citizenship Male Female U.S. Permanent Resident Temporary Visa (mmlddlyy) d. Race/Ethnicity (if U.S. citizen or permanent resident) American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander Black White APPENDIX D

APPENDIX D Hispanic (I Mexican American, ~ Puerto Rican, ~ Other) ~ Multiracial VI. Please provide your preferred e-mai! address (where you can be reached if there are questions.) Thank you for your time. ~7

118 Questionnaire for Admitted-to-Candidacy Doctoral Students This questionnaire is part of the National Research Council's Pilot Test of the Assessment of Research Doctoral Programs. Your university has volunteered to participate in this pilot test to assist the National Research Council's study of the methodology used to assess doctoral programs. One innovation we are considering is adding student responses about the educational processes of the program. We believe that students' input is important to improving the quality of the educational experience. Further information about the methodology study may be found at www7.nationalacademies.org/resdoc/index.htm! You have been selected to receive this questionnaire because you are a student who has completed over half of your doctoral program. If this is not the case, please indicate that in question 1. The assessment of research doctoral programs is conducted approximately every ten years and consists of a reputational survey of doctoral programs and the collection of data about doctoral faculty and students in fifty-four areas of study. This questionnaire will provide information that will assist the study in a number of ways: 1) it will provide a statistical description of students in your program; 2) it will provide information about practices in your program; and 3) it will help future students in the selection of graduate programs. Your answers will be treated as completely confidential by the National Research Council and will only be released as part of a statistical analysis. Individual answers will not be shared with faculty or administrators of your doctoral program except in aggregated form. Institution: Doctoral Program: Educational Program A. Year of enrollment in this doctoral program: B. Year you expect to receive your doctorate: C. Did you (or will you) receive a master's degree before this doctorate? ~ Yes ~ No D. Did you (or will you) receive a master's degree in your doctoral field as part of your training? ~ Yes ~ No Ifyes,didyouwritea master's thesis? ~ Yes ~ No E. During the course of your study for the Ph.D. will you also receive any of the following as part of a joint, concurrent, or combined degree program: Professional doctorate (e.g., MD, DDS, OD, JD)? ~ Yes Professional master's (e.g., MBA, MPA, MPH)? ~ Yes No ~ No F. During the course of your study for the Ph.D. will you also receive a certificate in another field? ~ Yes ~ No APPENDIX D

APPENDIX D G. What were your career goals at the time you entered graduate school? Check all that apply] U.S. Employment: Industry ~ Government ~ Nonprofit ~ University ~ 2-yr. college ~ 4-yr. college Other: Non-U.S. Employment: Industry ~ Government ~ Nonprofit ~ University 2-yr. college ~ 4-yr. college Other: ~ Unknown H. What are your current career plans? tcheck all that apply] U.S. Employment: Industry ~ Government ~ Nonprofit ~ University ~ 2-yr. college ~ 4-yr. college Other: Non-U.S. Employment: Industry ~ Government ~ Nonprofit ~ University 2-yr. college ~ 4-yr. college Other: ~ Unknown I. Of the following sources of support, which have been your primary sources during your doctoral studies? (Check the three largest) I. ~ Personal/family funds 2. ~ Research Assistant (RA) 3. ~ Teaching Assistant (TA) 4. ~ Training grant 5. ~ Fellowship 6. ~ Loans 7. ~ Concurrent employment related to your degree 8. ~ Concurrent employment unrelated to your degree 2. Program Characteristics A. Professional Development I. During your doctoral program have you received (or will you receive) instruction, practice or professional development training in: a. Oral communication and presentation skills: ~ Yes ~ No b. Writing proposals for funding: ~ Yes ~ No c. Preparing articles for publication: ~ Yes ~ No d. Working in collaborative groups: ~ Yes ~ No Conducting independent research/scholarship:~ Yes ~ No f. Project management ~ Yes ~ No g. Research / professional ethics ~ Yes ~ No h. Speaking to nonacademic audiences ~ Yes n No 119 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

120 2. In your doctoral program did you have an opportunity to obtain teaching experience? Check the typets) of teaching experience you have had: a. mentoring a high school student b. mentoring an undergraduate student c. grading papers for undergraduate or graduate courses d. leading discussion sections of undergraduate or graduate courses e. leading laboratory sections of undergraduate or graduate courses f. lecturing in undergraduate or graduate courses g. tutoring undergraduates If you have had teaching experience, please answer the following, h. ~ received formal instruction in leaching. ~ Yes ~ No i. {received formal supervision end evaluation. ~ Yes ~ No j. ~ had opportunities to teach in a variety of academic environments. ~ Yes ~ No B. Program Environment 1. Does your program provide an annual or more frequent assessment of your progress? 2. Do you receive timely feedback on your research! 1 - - - - - _ Yes ~ No ~ Yes ~ No 3. Do you have access to career advice covering a variety of employment sectors? Yes ~ No ~ Yes ~ No a. If yes, are you encouraged to use it? 4. Do you have one or more faculty members at your institution that you consider mentors (i.e., individuals from whom you seek advice about your education, career development, and other matters of concern to you as a graduate student)? ~ Yes ~ No 5. How would you rate the quality of teaching by faculty in your program? ~ Excellent ~ Good ~ Fair ~ Poor 6. How would you rate the quality of your research experience? Excellent ~ Good ~ Fair ~ Poor 7. How would YOU rate the curriculum of your Ph.D. program? ~ Excellent ~ Good S. How would you rate the overall quality of your program _ ~ O ~ Fair ~ Poor ~ , , ~ ~ Excellent ~ Good ' ' ~ ~ ~ Lair ~ Poor 9. How would YOU rate the intellectual liveliness of your pro cram? ~ Excellent ~ Good 10. Considering the overall intellectual environment of your university, how much do you fee! you have benei ited from it? ~ A lot ~ Some APPENDIX D , - - ~ o n Fair n Poor ~ A little ~ Not at all

APPENDIX D C. Infrastructure I. Does your program give you access to: a. Your own personal work space b. Computer facilities Yes ~ No ~ Yes ~ No c. Other research facilities; if so, describe: 2. Does your program provide adequate space for interaction among students? C] Yes O No 3. Are the library resources available to you adequate to support your research and education? ~ Yes C] No D. Research productivity I. How many research presentations (including poster presentations) have you made at research conferences a. on your campus? b. at national or regional meetings? 2. How many research publications have you authored or co-authored during your cloctoral studies (include pieces accepted for publication but not yet published)? a. Refereed articles b. Book chapters c. Reviews d. Books or edited volumes 3. Background information A. Date of birth: (mm/~/yy) B. Gender: ~ Male n Female C. Citizenship U.S. Permanent Resident Temporary Visa D. Race/Ethnicity (if U.S. citizen) American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander Black White Hispanic Mexican American, ~ Puerto Rican, ~ Other) ~ Multiracial E. Dependent care responsibilities: 1. Number of children living with you: Age 6 or under Over age 6 3. Parents or other dependents ~ Yes ~ No 121

122 APPENDIX D G. Marital Status: Do you have a spouse or partner who lives with you? ~ Yes ~ No F. Level of Parents' Education: Mother Father High school diploma or less Some college/Bachelor's degree Advanced degree

APPENDIX D Five-Seven Years Post-Ph.D Questionnaire This questionnaire is part of the National Research Council's Pilot Test of the Assessment of Research Doctoral Programs. Your university has volunteered to participate in this pilot test to assist the National Research Council's study of the methodology used to assess doctoral programs. One innovation that we are considering is to add student responses to questions about the educational process of the program. Further information about the methodology study may be found at www7.nationalacademies. org/resdoc/index.html You have been selected to receive this questionnaire because you are a student who has received a Ph.D. from this program five to seven years ago. If this is not the case, please indicate that in question 1. ~ 4, , I, The assessment of research doctoral programs is conducted approximately every ten years and consists of a reputational survey of doctoral programs and the collection of data about doctoral faculty and students in fifty-four areas of study. This questionnaire provides information that will assist the study in a number of ways: 1) it will help us learn whether a high enough percentage of students respond so that we can add student observations to the larger study; 2) it will provide us enough information about practices in your program that we can compare the practices of graduate programs in your field at different universities; and 3) it will permit a statistical description of the f~rst-year students in the graduate program. Your answers will be treated as completely confidential by the National Research Council and will only be released as part of a statistical analysis. Individual answers will not be shared with faculty or administrators of your former doctoral program except in aggregated form. Educational Program a. Name of the program where you received your Ph.D. degree: b. Year of enrollment in the above Ph.D. program: c. Year you received your Ph.D.: d. Did you receive a master's degree at this institution before this Ph.D.? ~ Yes ~ No e. Were you enrolled as a full-time student throughout your Ph.D. program? ~ Yes ~ No f. Did you attend graduate school prior to enrollment in the above Ph.D. program? ~ Yes ~ No If so, what degrees or certificates, if any, do you hold? ~ Certificate ~ Master's ~ Doctoral ~ Professional g. What was your career goal when you completed your Ph.D.? U.S. Employment: Industry ~ Government ~ Nonprofit ~ University 2-yr. college ~ 4-yr. college Other: 123

124 Non-U.S. Employment: Industry ~ Government ~ Nonprofit ~ University 2-yr. college ~ 4-yr. college Other: ~ Unknown h. Have your career goals changed since you received your Ph.D.? ~ Yes ~ No i. During your Ph.D. program, were you supported by funds from outside the institution? ~ Yes ~ No (Check all that apply) Type: ~ Fellowship ~ Training Grant ~ Research Grant ~ Your employer ~ Other(Specify: ! J. Did you receive institutional support? ~ Yes ~ No (Check all that apply) Type: ~ Teaching Assistantship ~ Research Assistantship ~ Fellowship ~ Tuition scholarship or waiver only ~ Loan ~ None ~ Other(Specify: ! 2. Employment and Career Status a. First employer or place of postdoctoral study after Ph.D. completion: Name: Address: City State/Country Zip Code- Title: b. Employment Sector: Industry (for profit) National laboratory State or local government Federal government agency International agency University 4-year college 2-year college K-12 school Hospital or clinic Foundation or nonprofit Military Other (specify) APPENDIX D

APPENDIX D c. If you hold or have held a postdoctoral position or positions, how many , and at what institutions, companies or government agencies were they located? List chronologically starting with the most recent. Position # 1: Position#2: Position # 3: Position#4: Dates: Dates: Dates: Dates: d. Current employer: Name: Address: City State/Country Zip Code- Title: e. Current Employment Sector: Industry (for profit) National laboratory State or local government Federal government agency International agency University 4-year college 2-year college K-12 school Hospital or clinic Foundation or nonprofit Military ~ Other (specify) 3. Ph.D. Program Characteristics a. During your Ph.D. education, in which of the following areas was training PROVIDED, which skills or experiences have you USED since graduation, and which area do you wish you had learned MORE about? (check all that apply) 1) Teaching experiemce 2) Oral communication; presentation skills 3) Writing proposals for funding 4) Manuscript preparation Provided Provided Provided Provided Experience working in collaborative groups ~ Provided 6) Critical analysis 7) Locating and applying information 125 Used ~ More Used ~ More Used ~ More Used ~ More Provided Provided Used ~ More Used ~ More Used ~ More

26 8) Experience working with people of varied educational levels ~ Provided ~ Used ~ More 9) Experience working with people from diverse backgrounds ~ Provided ~ Used ~ More 10) Experience working in teams b. Research Productivity Provided ~ Used ~ More How many books or edited books have you published or are currently accepted for publication? 2) How many articles or book chapters have you published or are currently accepted for publication? 3) How many books or articles have you reviewed for publication? 4) How many reviews, enumerated in 3), have been or will be published? 5) How many refereed papers have you or a coauthor presented at professional conferences? How many awards have you received? (Respond to all categories.) a) For teaching: b) For research: From professional societies: From your institution or employer: 7) How many patents or licenses have you received? 8) How many grants have you received from your employer or institution? 9) How many grants have you received from extramural funding agencies? 4. Background Information a. Date of birth: b. Gender: c. Citizenship APPENDIX D Male Female U.S. Permanent Resident Temporary Visa (mmlddlyy)

APPENDIX D 127 d. Race/Ethnicity (ifU.S. citizen) American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian Pacific Islander Black White Hispanic (~ Mexican American, ~ Multiracial e. Martial Status ~ Married ~ Single f. Number of Children: Age 6 and under Over age 6 g. Level of Parents' Education: Less than high school High school diploma Some college Bachelor's degree Master's degree Professional degree Doctoral degree h. Is English your first language? Mother Yes ~ No Puerto Rican, ~ Other) Father

How should we assess and present information about the quality of research-doctorate programs? In recommending that the 1995 NRC rankings in Assessing the Quality of Research-Doctorate Programs: Continuity and Change be updated as soon as possible, this study presents an improved approach to doctoral program assessment which will be useful to administrators, faculty, and others with an interest in improving the education of Ph.D.s in the United States. It reviews the methodology of the 1995 NRC rankings and recommends changes, including the collection of new data about Ph.D. students, additional data about faculty, and new techniques to present data on the qualitative assessment of doctoral program reputation. It also recommends revision of the taxonomy of fields from that used in the 1995 rankings.

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Harvard University Program on Survey Research

How to Frame and Explain the Survey Data Used in a Thesis

Surveys are a special research tool with strengths, weaknesses, and a language all of their own. There are many different steps to designing and conducting a survey, and survey researchers have specific ways of describing what they do.

This handout, based on an annual workshop offered by the Program on Survey Research at Harvard, is geared toward undergraduate honors thesis writers using survey data.

PSR Resources

Managing and Manipulating Survey Data: A Beginners Guide
Finding and Hiring Survey Contractors
Overview of Cognitive Testing and Questionnaire Evaluation
Questionnaire Design Tip Sheet
Sampling, Coverage, and Nonresponse Tip Sheet
Introduction to Surveys for Honors Thesis Writers
PSR Introduction to the Survey Process
Related Centers/Programs at Harvard
General Survey Reference
Institutional Review Boards
Select Funding Opportunities
Survey Analysis Software
Professional Standards
Professional Organizations
Major Public Polls
Survey Data Collections
Major Longitudinal Surveys
Other Links

Know the structure of a thesis and how to craft it

All-inclusive aid from topic selection, data analysis to questionnaire design

Give a fuelled-up start to your research journey & reach heights of excellency

The first document that showcases your future research endeavors

Phd academic writers, editors, peer reviewers, statisticians at your service

Support your research choices with literature-backed justifications

Introduce your PhD expedition with highest academic standards

Data collection tool that ensures appropriate and result-oriented findings

Give your incomplete manuscript the perfect academic finish

Format, layout, structure and content is all what makes a good thesis synopsis

A plethora of literary sources to add that extra edge to your research

RM is much more than research methods, read on to know more

Research aim/objective, prospective methodology & results to display your academic dexterity

Demographic information & research objective related set of questions to fetch the right data

Questionnaire Development

Research-Specific Data Collection Tools

Designing a questionnaire for your PhD research is an important task which decides the fate of your research. Not only is the selection of type of questionnaire a tremendous task, but also creating appropriate questions, sections and subsections for the target audience entails a great deal of time (and knowledge). There are a list of questions that need to be answered before you can embark on the journey to designing that perfect questionnaire for data collection.

It requires a complete and thorough understanding of the attributes and framework necessary for an effective questionnaire development. In addition, one must possess in-depth knowledge about the topic and variables under study. For example, the researcher must decide and evaluate the research objectives. Then, identifying the measurements and questions by which you will collect data from respondents in the intended manner.

Some segregations to keep in mind

1. type of questionnaires.

2. Type of questions

3. sections.

The questionnaire must be in line with the objectives of research. Each question mentioned must refer to some objective. It should only contain relevant questions which must not hurt the sentiments of the target respondents in any way to avoid bias. A well-framed questionnaire can help answer the research questions appropriately and contribute towards a concrete discussions chapter for deriving at research-worthy conclusions.

Crafting an effective questionnaire for research

Questionnaire design is integral to correct data collection.

Identifying the purpose of questionnaire

The purpose is to generalise from a sample to the population so that speculation can be made about some characteristic, attitude, or behavior of this population.

Choosing a suitable type of questionnaire

The advantages of the different questionnaires to be kept in mind which will suit your research objectives. For this purpose, the researcher must decide whether the survey is longitudinal or cross-sectional, will the data be collected over a period or at one point in time only.

A form of data collection

Identify through which medium the questionnaire to be distributed and the data gathered, such as the mail, telephone, the internet, and personal interviews. Its rationale, costs, data availability, strengths and weakness must be kept under scrutiny.

Identifying the population

The size of the sample population, if the size can be determined, and the means of identifying individuals in the population are necessary.

Identification of variables

The variables need to be specified in an experiment so that it is evident to readers what groups are receiving the experimental treatment and what outcomes are being measured.

Ensure compliance to the checklist above to draft a well-researched and well-designed PhD questionnaire for your research. Also, you may find attached PhD questionnaire samples prepared by our experts useful for reference.

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How short or long should be a questionnaire for any research? Researchers dilemma in deciding the appropriate questionnaire length

Hunny sharma.

Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

A questionnaire plays a pivotal role in various surveys. Within the realm of biomedical research, questionnaires serve a role in epidemiological surveys and mental health surveys and to obtain information about knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) on various topics of interest. Questionnaire in border perspective can be of different types like self-administered or professionally administered and according to the mode of delivery paper-based or electronic media–based. Various studies have been conducted to assess the appropriateness of a questionnaire in a particular field and methods to translate and validate them. But very little is known regarding the appropriate length and number of questions in a questionnaire and what role it has in data quality, reliability, and response rates. Hence, this narrative review is to explore the critical issue of appropriate length and number of questions in a questionnaire while questionnaire designing.

Introduction

A questionnaire is an essential tool in epidemiological surveys and mental health surveys and to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) on a particular topic of interest. In general, it is a set of predefined questions based on the aim of the research.[ 1 ]

Designing a questionnaire is an art which unfortunately is neglected by most researchers.[ 2 ] A well-designed questionnaire not only saves time for a researcher but helps to obtain relevant information most efficiently, but designing such a questionnaire is complex and time-consuming.[ 3 , 4 ]

The quality of the data obtained by a specific questionnaire depends on the length and number of questions in the questionnaire, the language, and the ease of comprehension of the questions, relevance of the population to which it is administered, and the mode of administration, i.e., the self-administered or paper method or the electronic method [ Figure 1 ].[ 5 , 6 ]

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Qualities of a well-designed questionnaire

Response rate is defined as the number of people who responded to a question asked divided by the number of total potential respondents. Response rate which is a crucial factor in determining the quality and generalizability of the outcome of the survey depends indirectly on the length and number of questions in a questionnaire.[ 7 , 8 ]

Several studies have been conducted to assess the appropriateness of the questionnaire in a particular field and methods to translate and validate them. But very little is known regarding the appropriate length and number of questions in a questionnaire and what role it has in data quality and reliability. Hence, this narrative review is to explore the critical issue of appropriate length and number of questions in a questionnaire while questionnaire designing.

What is a questionnaire

Merriam Webster defines the questionnaire as “a set of questions for obtaining statistically useful or personal information from individuals,” whereas Collins defines a questionnaire as “a questionnaire is a written list of questions which are answered by a lot of people to provide information for a report or a survey.” The oxford learners’ dictionaries also give a somewhat similar definition which states that a questionnaire is “a written list of questions that are answered by several people so that information can be collected from the answers.”[ 9 , 10 , 11 ]

Thus, this provides a simpler meaning that a questionnaire in simpler terms is a collection of questions that can be used to collect information from various individuals relevant to the research aims.

Where are questionnaires generally applied?

A questionnaire, in general, can be applied to a wide variety of research which can either be quantitative or qualitative research which completely depends on how and in which a number of open-ended questions are asked.[ 12 ]

Questionnaires are generally applied when a large population has to be assessed or surveyed with relative ease where they play a crucial role in gathering information on the perspectives of individuals in the population.

There is a variety of applications of questionnaire in opinion polls, marketing surveys, and in politics, wherein the context of biomedical research questionnaires are generally used in epidemiological surveys, mental health surveys, surveys on attitudes to a health service or health service utilization, to conduction knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) studies on a particular issue or topic of interest.[ 13 , 14 ]

What are the types of questionnaire?

Questionnaires in general are of two types those which are in paper format and those which are in electronic format. The questionnaire can further be of two types i.e., self-administered or professionally administered via interview. The paper format can be administered easily both in self-administered mode or professional administered mode via direct administration when the population is relatively small as it is cumbersome to manage and store the physical questionnaire, paper format can also be administered to a larger population via postal surveys. Electronic questionnaires can be easily administered to a larger population in self-administered mode via Internet-based services like google forms, e-mails, SurveyMonkey, or Survey Junkie, etc. When administering professional-administered questionnaires professional telephonic services must be utilized to interview a larger population in a shorter duration of time.[ 15 , 16 , 17 ]

What it is required to answer individual questions in the questionnaire or the burden imparted on respondents

As mentioned by Bowling, in general, there are at least four intricated steps required in answering a particular question in a questionnaire, these steps are comprehension, recall of information asked by the question from the memory, judgment on the link between the asked question and the recall of information, and at last communication of the information to the questionnaire or evaluator [ Figure 2 ].[ 18 ]

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Steps involved for answering a particular question in the questionnaire

In the case of a self-administered questionnaire, there is also a need for critical reading skills which is not required in one-to-one or face-to-face interview which only requires listening and verbal skills to respond to questions in the same language in which they are being asked or interviewed.[ 18 ]

There are many other crucial factors which play an important role in deciding the utility of questionnaire in various research, one such factor is the literacy of the participants which is a major limiting factor in self-administered questionnaires. Whereas, the other factors include the respondent's age, maturity, and level of understanding and cognition, which are some of the other ways related to the comprehension of the questions.[ 19 ]

Do the length of the questionnaire matters?

Length and number of items in the questionnaire play a crucial role in questionnaire-based studies or surveys, it has a direct effect on the time taken by the respondent to complete the questionnaire, cost of the survey or study, response rate, and quality of data obtained.[ 20 ]

As evident from the study conducted by Iglesias and Torgerson in 2000, on the response rate of a mailed questionnaire, an increase in the length of the questionnaire from five pages to seven pages reduces the response rate from women aged 70 years and over but on contrary does not seems to affect the quality of response to questions.[ 21 ]

Another study conducted by Similar Koitsalu et al .[ 22 ] in 2018 reported that they were able to increase overall participation and information gathered through a long questionnaire with the help of prenotification and the use of a reminder without risking a lower response rate.

Whereas Sahlqvist, et al .[ 23 ] in 2011 reported that participants were more likely to respond to the short version of the questionnaire as compared to a long questionnaire.

Testing of ultrashort, short, and long surveys of 13, 25, and 75 questions, respectively by Kost et al .[ 24 ] in 2018, revealed that a shorter survey utilizing a short questionnaire was reliable and produce high response and completion rates than a long survey.

Bolt, on the other hand, in 2014, found a surprising find that reducing the length of a long questionnaire in a physician survey does not mean that it will necessarily improve response rate hence to improve the response rate in nonresponders’ researchers may think to utilize a drastically shortened version of the questionnaire to obtain some relevant information rather than no information.[ 25 ]

But the most interesting find comes from the web-based survey giant “Survey Monkey,” which states that there is a nonlinear relationship between the number of questions in a survey and the time spent answering each question. Which in other words can be explained as more there are questions in a survey lesser time respondent spend answering each question which is known as “speeding up” or “satisficing” through the questions. It is also observed that as the length of and the number of questions asked increased there is an increase in a nonresponse rate. This in term affects the quantity and reliability of the data gathered.[ 26 ]

What happens when respondents lose interest?

When there is a loss of interest, in the case of a long length questionnaire or extensive interviews, the bored respondents provide unconsidered and unreliable answers, or in other scenarios, it may lead to high nonresponse to questions. Where on one side a high nonresponse rate may lead to difficulty in data analysis or an unacceptable reduction in sample size, whereas on the other side, unconsidered or unreliable answers may defeat the whole purpose of the research [ Figure 3 ].[ 19 ]

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Consequences of Loss of interest in research participant

Considerations while using a long questionnaire

While using a long questionnaire, a high nonresponse rate should always be expected hence appropriate measures to address the missing data should be considered such as data trimming or data imputation depending on the amount of data missing.[ 27 , 28 ]

While the loss of interest can be administering counteracted by dividing the questionnaire into sections and administering each section separating to avoid respondents’ fatigue or boredom.[ 19 ]

It is always advised that the administration of telephonic interview–based questionnaire should be kept short in general about 30 min to prevent fatigue or inattention which may adversely affect the quality of data. In the case of a very long telephonic interview, questions can be divided into sections, and each section can be administered on separate days or shifts lasting 30 min each. A long questionnaire should preferably be administered through face-to-face interviews.

Designing a questionnaire is an art and requires time and dedication, which in turn leads to the easiest way to measure the relevant information on a desired topic of interest. But many a times, this crucial step in biomedical research is ignored by researchers. With this narrative review, we were able to provide a glimpse of the importance of a good questionnaire. A good questionnaire can be of 25 to 30 questions and should be able to be administered within 30 min to keep the interest and attention of the participants intact. It is observed that as the number of questions increases there is a tendency of the participants speeding up or satisficing through the questions, which severely affect the quality, reliability, and response rates. In case a long questionnaire is essential, it should be divided into sections of 25 to 30 questions each to be delivered at a different time or day. In the case of a long questionnaire i.e., more than 30 questions, a larger amount of missing data or nonresponse rates must be anticipated and provisions should be made to address them. At last, it is always advised that shortening a relatively lengthy questionnaire significantly increases the response.

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There are no conflicts of interest.

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Your postgraduate student guide to using a research questionnaire for your dissertation

Prof Martyn Denscombe, author of “ The Good Research Guide, 6th edition ”, gives expert advice on using a questionnaire survey for your postgraduate dissertation.

Questionnaire surveys are a well-established way of collecting data. They can be used with relatively small-scale research projects, and research questionnaires can be designed and delivered quite quickly and cheaply. It is not surprising, therefore, that when it comes to conducting research for a master’s dissertation, questionnaire surveys feature prominently as the research method of choice.

Occasionally such thesis surveys will be sent out by post, and sometimes the questionnaires will be distributed by hand. But the popularity of questionnaire surveys in the context of master’s dissertations is principally due to the benefits of using online web-based questionnaires. There are two main aspects to this.

First, the software for producing and delivering web questionnaires, with their features such as drop-down menus and tick-box answers, is user-friendly and inexpensive.

Second, online surveys make it possible to contact people across the globe without travelling anywhere which, given the time and resource constraints faced when producing a dissertation, makes online surveys all the more enticing. (And, for the more adventurous students, there are also developing possibilities for the use of social media such as Facebook and SMS texts for contacting people to participate in the survey.)

In the context of a master’s dissertation, however, the quality of the survey data is a vital issue. The grade for the dissertation will depend on being able to defend the use of the data from the survey as the basis for advanced, master’s level academic enquiry. Which means it is not good enough to simply rely on getting 100 or so people to complete your questionnaire. Students are expected to be aware of the pros and cons of questionnaire surveys and to be able to justify the value of the data they have collected in the face of probing questions such as:

Who are the respondents and how they were selected?
How representative are the respondents of the whole group being studied?
What response rate was achieved by the survey?
Are the questions suitable in relation to the topic and the particular respondents?
What likelihood is there that respondents gave honest answers to the questions?

This is where The Good Research Guide, 6th edition becomes so valuable.

It not only identifies the key points that need to be addressed in order to conduct a competent questionnaire survey, it gets right to the heart of the matter with plenty of practical guidance on how to deal with the issues. In a straightforward style, using plain language, this bestselling book covers a range of alternative strategies and methods for conducting small-scale social research projects and outlines some of the main ways in which the data can be analysed.

Read Prof Martyn Denscombe’s advice on using a Case Study for your postgraduate dissertation

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a dissertation questionnaire.

There are a few key steps in creating a dissertation for use in your thesis. Firstly, you should think about the topic you are studying and who you need to respond to your questionnaire. You then need to think about how you can deliver the questions, this can be in the form of in-person interviews or emails. You can begin to formulate your questions and format.

Visit the Studying for a PhD section for more information and advice.

A Comprehensive Guide for Designing and Administering a Questionnaire

How to design and administer a questionnaire

Once your PhD thesis proposal is approved, the next step involves actual data collection. Depending on the study, a student may choose to collect secondary data, primary data or both.

A questionnaire is used to collect primary data. It is a set of questions that a researcher asks his/her research respondents so as to understand the problem under investigation.

A questionnaire can be structured, unstructured or semi-structured. The differences among these three are explained below:

Unstructured
Semi-structured

Has closed-ended questions.

Q1. Has covid-19 affected your business?

Has open-ended questions.

Q1. What is your opinion about the covid-19 vaccine?

_____________________________________________________________

Has a mix of both closed-ended and open-ended questions.

Q1. Has covid-19 affected your business? 1. Yes 2. No

Please explain _____________________________________________________

This guide discusses the best practices for designing and administering a questionnaire.

Designing a questionnaire

Introduction, administering a questionnaire, facilitated questionnaires, self-administered questionnaires, training research assistants, pre-testing a questionnaire, protocols for administering questionnaire, recommended resources.

The design of a questionnaire is a key determining factor of how it will be received by the potential respondents.

A questionnaire has three distinct parts: the introduction, the questions, and the conclusion.

In the introduction section of a questionnaire, the researcher outlines the following: who is carrying out the study, the purpose of the study, what information will be collected from the respondent, the process used to identify the respondent, use (and permission for use) of audio recording, the average amount of time required to fill the questionnaire, how the data collected will be used, the risks or inconveniences of participating in the study, the benefits of participating in the study, and any compensation plans for participants.

Additionally, the introduction section also includes ethical issues related to participating in the study such as protection of personal privacy of the respondents, upholding the confidentiality of the data collected, voluntary nature of participation in the study, and informed consent of the respondents. The researcher should also include contact details in case the respondents would want to reach out to them in future.

Below is a sample of introduction to a questionnaire.

The design and structure of the questions in a questionnaire matter greatly. The following factors should be considered when designing the questions:

Flow of questions: the questions should flow in a logical manner. It is therefore important to organise the questions by sub-topics.

In the example of effects of covid-19 on micro and small enterprises, the student can organise the questionnaire by the following sub-topics: revenue, customers, employment etc.

Language used: the language should be simple and clear. Do not use jargons that a layman cannot understand. Not all respondents have high level of education, and even if they did, they may not be experts in your field of study.

Types of questions: there are different types of questions that can be used. Make sure to mix them up to make the questionnaire more appealing.

The following table lists the different types of questions you can include in a questionnaire:

Demographic
Two-option response
Multiple choice
Rating scale
Likert scale

These are questions on the socio-economic background of the respondent.

They are best used to disaggregate the data or to check for differences between different socio-economic groups.

They are best placed at the beginning of the questionnaire, after the introduction.

Examples include:

Q1. What is your age? ___________

Q2. What is your highest level of education? 1. No education 2. Primary 3. Secondary 4. Tertiary

Q3. What is your marital status? 1. Single 2. Married 3. Divorced 4. Separated

These are questions whose responses fall into two groups only.

Q1. Do you have children? 1. Yes 2. No

Q2. Are you employed? 1. Yes 2. No

Q3. What is your gender*? 1. Male 2. Female

It is important to be careful about some questions such as gender because some people do not identify with either of the options provided.

Unlike the two-option response questions, these questions provide many response options.

The response options should be as exhaustive as possible.

Q1. For your last birth, who assisted you to deliver? 1. Traditional birth attendant 2. Midwife 3. Nurse 4. Doctor 5. Other (specify) _____________

Q2. What is your main source of water for your household? 1. Piped water 2. Borehole water 3. Rain water 4. Surface water (river, lake) 5. Other (specify) _______________

Always include “other” and/or “don’t know” responses for the multiple-choice questions.

A rating scale question asks respondents to rate a product or service on a scale. The scale can be 0-10, 0-100 etc.

Q1. On a scale of 0-10 (where 0 is extremely dissatisfied and 10 is extremely satisfied), what is your level of satisfaction with the services provided by the Water Services Board?

Likert scale questions are used to gauge the opinions and feelings of respondents on a particular issue.

Q1. I am satisfied with the measures the county government has put in place to cushion micro and small enterprises from negative effects of covid-19 pandemic.

1. Strongly disagree 2. Disagree 3. Neutral 4. Agree 5. Strongly agree

Matrix questions are used when several questions require similar response type. For instance if you have multiple rating scale or likert scale questions with the same response types, you can put the questions in a table.

The questions can be on the first column and the responses on the first row. The respondent then selects the response that applies to each of the questions in the table.

Include “skip logic” where applicable: skip logic instructs respondents to skip certain questions based on their responses to previous questions.

For example: if question 2 is “Do you have children?” and questions 3 and 4 are questions about the children (e.g where they were delivered, if they have been vaccinated etc), then those who responded “No” to question 2 should be asked to skip to question 5 because question 3 and 4 do not apply to them.

Recall questions

Some questionnaires include questions which respondents to remember an event that happened in the past. If the recall period is long (longer than one year), the respondent is highly likely to give false responses. In such situations, the respondents can use aids to help them remember the actual details of the event.

For example: a question about the types of vaccinations a child below the age of 5 has received would be easier on a mother whose child is less than one year. If the child is say 4 years old, it may be difficult for the mother to remember all the vaccinations the child received and when they were administered. In such a situation, the mother may refer to her child’s vaccination schedule handbook which lists all the vaccines the child got and when they got them.

Length of the questionnaire

There needs to be a balance when it comes to the length of the questionnaire.

A very short questionnaire may increase response rate but may fail to achieve all the study’s objectives as it may leave out some key questions.

On the other hand, a very long questionnaire may lead to high response rate due to fatigue of the respondent (and the interviewer) even though it may include all the necessary questions needed to achieve the study’s objectives.

After you are done asking the respondent questions, it is important to give them the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.

Additionally, thank them for the time they spent answering your questions/filling in the questionnaire.

Restate how the data will be used and how they would be able to get the results of the study should they be interested.

There are two methods of administering questionnaires: facilitated questionnaires and self-administered questionnaires.

In facilitated questionnaires, the researcher (or a trained research assistant) administers the questionnaire directly to the respondent. This can be done either through a face-to-face interview or telephone interview.

If a researcher plans to use research assistants to help with the questionnaire administration, he must train them to ensure they are on the same level of understanding.

Facilitated questionnaires have advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages of facilitated questionnaires
Disadvantages of facilitated questionnaires
They result in higher response rate compared to self-administered questionnaires.
The researcher is present to clarify the questions if need be.
The respondents do not need to have high literacy levels.
They are costly (especially the face-to-face method of administration). The costs may include: travel costs to meet the respondents, personnel costs if using research assistants, accommodation costs if the interview is taking place far from the interviewers’ area of residence).
They are more time-consuming compared to self-administered questionnaires.
They are prone to interviewer bias. The interviewer can influence the responses given through questioning the respondent on the response given, prompting responses from the respondent, interpreting the questions for the respondent etc. To minimise bias, the interviewer (and research assistants) need to be trained on effective interviewing skills.
They do not offer privacy to the respondents and may be uncomfortable for sensitive questions.

In self-administered questionnaires, the respondent fills in the questionnaire without the presence of the researcher.

There are different ways of delivering self-administered questionnaires: through post office, email address, mobile phone, or web-based.

Questionnaires sent through the post office should include a stamped envelop that the respondent can use to mail back to the researcher. This ensures that the respondent does not incur costs for mailing and is one way of increasing the response rate.

Self-administered questionnaires should be designed taking into consideration the layout of the questionnaire (font type used, font size, order of questions, simple instructions and skip logics). The layout of the questionnaire should make it easy for the respondents to fill in the questionnaire.

Self-administered questionnaires also have their advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages of self-administered questionnaires
Disadvantages

They are less costly.

They can be distributed to a wider reach in a short time.

They are not prone to researcher bias because the respondent fills the questionnaire without any assistance of the researcher.

They are the best option for sensitive questions because of the privacy they offer.

They require the respondents to have high literacy levels.

They lead to low response rates.

Web-based and mobile phone-based questionnaires require respondents to have high internet connectivity.

In some cases, the researcher may not be able to carry out the data collection all by himself. This may be the case if the sample size is large and the time is limited.

The researcher can enlist the services of research assistants to help with the data collection. The research assistants should be trained on the questionnaire before the data collection exercise starts.

When training the research assistants:

Set a date and time when all the research assistants will be available and train them at the same time.

Explain to the research assistants the purpose of the study, the importance of the data being collected and how it will be used, who the respondents are and how they were selected etc.

Be clear to the research assistants on what is expected of them, for example, how much they will be paid, how many questionnaires they are expected to administer, the start and end dates of the data collection exercise.

During the training, go through all the questions, one-by-one. Discuss each question on its own making sure that all the research assistants have the same understanding about the question. Discuss if the question is simple and easy to understand, and is not ambiguous.

For closed-ended questions, go through the responses making sure they make sense and are exhaustive enough.

Go through the instructions for each question, making sure that the instructions are easy to understand.

Go through the skip logics used in the questionnaire, making sure that they are simple and easy to follow.

Allow for a Q&A session where you respond to all the questions the research assistants may have.

Sign a contract with the research assistants before they start the data collection exercise.

After designing the questionnaire and training the research assistants, the next important step is to pre-test the questionnaire.

Before the questionnaire is administered to the target population, it is good practice to pre-test it.

Pre-testing vs. pilot-testing

Most people use pre-testing and pilot-testing interchangeably but the two are different. Whereas pre-testing entails testing the usefulness and adequacy of a data collection tool (like questionnaire), pilot testing goes beyond that. Pilot testing entails testing the feasibility of the entire study and involves conducting a mini-study before the entire study is launched. It therefore checks for the viability of the research design, the data collection tool, the logistics of conducting the study, the adequacy of the sampling technique, sample frame and sample size etc. Pre-testing is therefore nested within a pilot study. Pilot testing is best done when the target population is large.

Pretesting the questionnaire entails administering the same questionnaire to a small sample from the target population before it is administered to the larger sample.

Pre-testing should be done with individuals from the same target population, not just any population. For instance, if the target population is pregnant women, the pretest should be done with a few pregnant women, not just any woman. However, respondents who take part in the pre-test should not be included in the main study.

Additionally, if using research assistants for the study, the (trained) research assistants should be involved in the pre-test. Do not use someone else who will not be part of the main study to pre-test the questionnaire. Pre-testing is a good way for the trained research assistants to gain experience with the tool and the process and bring up any issues they may encounter so that they can be corrected before the questionnaire is administered.

The purpose of pre-testing is to:

Identify any ambiguous or unclear questions in the questionnaire.
Ensure that the targeted respondents have a good understanding of the questions that are in the tool.
Check if the wording and ordering of the questions is correct.
Check if there are unnecessary questions that need to be removed or important missing questions that need to be added.
Check if the layout, structure and length of the questionnaire is OK.

After the pre-test is done, all the issues raised should be addressed and the questionnaire corrected before it is launched.

Depending on the nature of study, the student may need to observe some protocols before the questionnaire can be administered.

Some common protocols include:

Obtaining ethical clearance from the relevant authority.
If data will be collected from organisations, the student should visit the organisations first and create rapport with the management before the study is launched. During the visits, the student should explain the purpose of the study and the need for collecting data from them. An introduction letter is key for this protocol.
Sending an introduction letter in advance to the identified sample.
Seeking audience with community leaders and informing them about the study, its purpose, how the sample was identified and what the data will be used for. This is very important when the target population involves members of local communities. Establishing rapport with the local leaders not only helps with their buy-in but the leaders can be instrumental in mobilising the community members to ensure they are co-operative during the study.

In conclusion, designing and administering questionnaires are vital skills for PhD students to gain especially if their future career will be in research. This article provided some key guidelines on designing effective questionnaires and administering them so as to achieve the study’s objectives.

http://www.saciwaters.org/CB/IFRM/IFRM/IV.%20Literature/Module%206_Qualitative%20Research%20Methods/6.4%20Questionnaire%20Design_Acharya%20Bidhan.pdf

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.5005/jp-journals-10021-1104

Grace Njeri-Otieno

Grace Njeri-Otieno is a Kenyan, a wife, a mom, and currently a PhD student, among many other balls she juggles. She holds a Bachelors' and Masters' degrees in Economics and has more than 7 years' experience with an INGO. She was inspired to start this site so as to share the lessons learned throughout her PhD journey with other PhD students. Her vision for this site is "to become a go-to resource center for PhD students in all their spheres of learning."

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Survey vs. questionnaire: what’s the difference, published by branford mcallister on march 11, 2022 march 11, 2022.

Last Updated on: 29th August 2022, 08:09 am

Surveys are very common and effective (mostly) in scholarly research. They are an excellent way to collect data related to human behavior and opinions. And, a survey can support both qualitative and quantitative research and analysis.

In this article I explain the differences between surveys and questionnaires, discuss sampling, and talk about considerations for each of these concepts.

Survey vs. Questionnaire

Yes, there is a difference! A questionnaire is an instrument (like an interview protocol, an observation plan, or an experiment)—a written set of questions.

Survey is a broader term that encompasses both the instrument (questionnaire) and the process of employing the instrument—collecting and analyzing the responses from those questions.

So, you might say, the questionnaire is one component of the survey. Planning a survey is a different task from constructing a questionnaire. The potential errors and bias, and their impacts on reliability are different.

In surveys, we’re concerned with coverage error (ensuring all prospective groups or characteristics have an opportunity to participate to avoid selection bias ), and nonresponse error (low response rate).
For questionnaires, we’re concerned with clarity, length, and construct validity , which relates to measurement error (accurately measuring the constructs the questionnaire purports to measure).

woman in yellow sweater starting a survey online

Why Is This Difference Important?

Terms matter, and using them properly contributes to your credibility. And, from a practical perspective, understanding the tasks ensures that your research is rigorous, unbiased, and valid. The reliability of your research depends on how you handle both the questionnaire and the survey, and the reliability issues are different for each.

So, let’s delve into each in a little more detail.

Survey Research

The survey is the overall process of using a questionnaire to collect data.

There are some very important considerations when choosing the survey method. Any choice about your research methodology should fit the purpose and the research objectives. These questions should take you in the right direction:

What is your research problem?
What’s the gap in the current research?
What must you learn to address that research question?
What kind of data do you need?
What’s the population about which you wish to infer some attribute?
What method best generates those data? Quantitative or qualitative research? Survey, interviews, observation, experiment?

Once you choose the survey method, then the next set of questions help scope your effort. Needless to say, especially for busy, starving, stressed students, there are real-world constraints in terms of costs, time, and effort (which is why we sample).

How much time do you have?
How much money do you have to invest in it?
How feasible is your plan? Can you reach members of the population? Are there any insurmountable hurdles to reaching your population?

african american woman doing survey research in the library

You have options:

Self-administered survey using mail or hand-delivery?
Internet-based?
Access your population through a professional or social group, association, or online social media platform (LinkedIn, Facebook)?
Use a survey service (e.g., SurveyMonkey)?

There are advantages and disadvantages to each option. While self-administered surveys provide control and flexibility, they suffer from low response rates and potentially high costs. A service may guarantee a specified sample size of respondents who meet your criteria, and may help construct the questionnaire. But, they also incur some costs to the researcher. Using an association leads to convenience sampling (discussed a bit later).

Once you decide on the survey mode, many of your considerations relate to choosing or designing an instrument, or with sampling. Let’s tackle sampling now.

Sampling is a very important aspect of survey research (and, for that matter, most scholarly research). Some simple definitions:

Sampling : It would be great to obtain data for the entire population. But, due to constraints on resources, you may need to sample and infer characteristics of the entire population.
Population : The entire set of all objects (or participants) sharing characteristics or qualifications (e.g., all undergraduate students in the U.S.); and to which the researcher intends to infer something of interest.
Target population : A subset of the population, delimited by some additional characteristics (e.g., undergraduate students in public universities); or, feasibility or access issue.
Sample frame : The subset of the target population from which an actual sample will be drawn, to which the researcher has access (e.g., undergraduate students in California state universities). The sample frame may be the same as the target population.
Sample : A subset of the sample frame—those who meet the participant criteria and are contacted to complete the questionnaire; selection is based on a sampling technique (e.g., random sample of candidates within the sample frame).
Participant criteria : The people who comprise your sample must meet the criteria (characteristics and qualifications) you establish.

group of multicultural colleagues working on a survey

Sampling Techniques

The purest form of sampling is a completely random sample from the sample frame. This requires the researcher to develop some mechanism for randomly selecting participants (or rely on a service to do it).
Convenience sampling is using a mechanism to contact qualified candidates in the sample frame, such as LinkedIn; or people attending a conference.
Stratified sampling divides the target population and sample frame into distinct cells: combinations of attributes (e.g., race, gender) proportionate to the population; then samples randomly within the cells.

A final consideration, no matter what sampling technique you use: How you will find and contact participants?

Sample Size

In quantitative studies for which you will test hypotheses and make inferences about population attributes, there are online tools to compute minimum sample size, including G*Power . Here’s an example:

Say you’re comparing GRE scores by race and gender, using ANOVA, medium effect size, α = .05, power = .90. Using G*Power, you compute a minimum sample size of n min = 270.

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Overcoming Response Error

With a minimum sample size ( n min ) calculated, you must ensure that either the survey service obtains the minimum sample size, or you must send out a sufficient number of questionnaires to account for the response rate . AND, you should consider the likelihood of incomplete, invalid, or corrupted questionnaires.

two women working together on a laptop in a modern office

Continuing with the example:

Survey response rate (from a similar study documented in a journal article) is 30%. Rate of corrupted, incomplete, invalid questionnaires is 10%.

n min = 270 (min required sample size of valid questionnaires)

270 = .90 × n 2 ⇒ n 2 = 300 ( n 2 is the number of questionnaire returned)

300 = .30 × n 3 ⇒ n 3 = 1000 ( n 3 is the number of questionnaires sent out)

So, to ensure you have the minimum number of valid, complete questionnaires (270), you would need to send out 1000 questionnaires to prospective participants.

Minimum Sample Size

Some survey services may guarantee your minimum sample size. But, ( huge point! ), be sure to consider the rate of questionnaire validity, and call that the minimum sample size for the survey service .

There’s little you can do after data collection to obtain more data if later you find that some of it is corrupt. And, it’s tragic to get to data analysis only to find out your sample is too small.

Let’s turn now to the instrument used in the survey method.

Questionnaires

The style of a questionnaire should fit the purpose and the research objectives. That means, using the kind of vocabulary that your target population is comfortable with. And, choosing a format that serves your data collection needs.

african american woman filling out a survey on the computer

Here are some considerations:

In either case, you must provide evidence of instrument validity, and the details of development and purpose and prior use. If previously used, this information should be available in a citable source.
One measurement of internal construct validity is Cronbach’s alpha. For off-the-shelf questionnaires, did the author report Cronbach’s alpha? If self-developed, you as the researcher must report on Cronbach’s alpha.
For self-developed questionnaires, perform a pilot study of your instrument to ensure it is understandable, with no confusing questions or potential bias; that the length is appropriate; and to compute Cronbach’s alpha.
Provide an introduction to your study, which is clear and professional, and addresses your purpose.
Consider return envelopes and postage, anonymity of the participants, deadlines, and incentives. ( Another important point! Consider the Institutional Review Board [IRB] policies for any agency with a stake in the research, such as a university or an organization targeted for a survey.)
Will it be cross-sectional (one point in time across sample frame) or longitudinal (data collected over time)?
If a structured questionnaire, what kind of responses are needed, which determines what kind of scale?
Will the responses be categorical/nominal? Dichotomous (e.g., yes or no)? Ordinal (such as a Likert scale)? Or numerical (a measured or counted quantity such as age or test scores)?
When writing the questions, consider objectivity and avoid language or questions that might be perceived to be biased.
Consider complexity and length of time to complete.
Use consistent ordinal responses (positive is high and negative is low); or reverse scoring will be needed.

Survey vs. Questionnaire: What’s It All Mean?

Surveys and questionnaires are different animals. A questionnaire is a component of a survey. And, there are different considerations for each, different sources of error and bias, impacting reliability and validity.

woman in yellow sweater using a pencil to take notes

But, why is this all important?

The survey method, with a properly designed questionnaire and rigorous sampling, is very useful in scholarly research.

Performing good survey research boils down to these three principles:

The purpose of the research, which drives research methodology, the survey process, and the questionnaire as a data collection instrument.
Rigorous planning for each component of that research, to meticulously address each potential source of bias and error.
Disciplined execution to obtain, through sampling, a valid data set and to perform analysis to make inferences about the population.

Happy surveying!

Branford McAllister

Branford McAllister received his PhD from Walden University in 2005. He has been an instructor and PhD mentor for the University of Phoenix, Baker College, and Walden University; and a professor and lecturer on military strategy and operations at the National Defense University. He has technical and management experience in the military and private sector, has research interests related to leadership, and is an expert in advanced quantitative analysis techniques. He is passionately committed to mentoring students in post-secondary educational programs. Book a Free Consultation with Branford McAllister

Dissertation

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Questionnaire Designing

Thesis Questionnaire Help

Design a research mechanism to test and prove hypotheses which works.

We all know that data collection is the mainstay of research. A valuable questionnaire design aids in acquiring accurate data. Framing the right set of questions could be wearying for anyone. Our PhD Research Questionnaire Designing Services ease your way into collecting appropriate data and analysing it by creating the exact required questionnaire for you. Our Thesis Questionnaire Help adds another layer of support to your research journey. With our expertise, we craft well-structured questionnaires that align with your research goals, ensuring the collection of pertinent and reliable data.

Our questionnaires comprise:

Divergent approach.

Our thesis questionnaire help will make sure to create formats that adhere to both qualitative and quantitative approaches of study. Open ended and close ended formats are developed adapting to the objective and methodology of your study.

Scaling and testing

The PhD Research Questionnaire Designing Services use various methods like test through yes or no questions, a 5 or 7 Likert scale or rank analysing questions. Respondents are ranked through their behaviour in situations. Cronbach’s alpha tests the score of reliability.

Value evaluation

Our PhD questionnaire help will provide an expert panel that conducts field tests calculating face validity, correlation coefficient between questions and variable outcomes. We perform Principal Components Analysis(PCA) and pilot survey teststest on data obtained.

Framework consultation

The PhD Research Questionnaire Designing Services develop a fresh questionnaire considering all aspects of standardization. Our consultants get the right criteria agreeing with your conceptual modules. Existing and published models are also tuned to your objective.

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Dissertation Questionnaire

A dissertation is a document usually a requirement for a doctoral degree especially in the field of philosophy. This long essay discusses a particular subject matter uses questionnaires and other sources of data and is used to validate its content. The questionnaire’s importance is evident in the processes of data gathering as it can make the dissertation factual, effective and usable.

Having a well-curated and formatted document to follow when making a dissertation can be very beneficial to an individual who is currently immersed in the data gathering stage of the specific research study. We have gathered downloadable samples and templates of questionnaires so it will be easier for you to curate your own.

Dissertation Timeline Gantt Chart Template

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Dissertation Research Gantt Chart Template

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Dissertation Project Gantt Chart Template

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Dissertation Plan Gantt Chart Template

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Dissertation Research Questionnaire

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Dissertation Proposal Questionnaire

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Sample Dissertation Questionnaire

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What Is a Dissertation Questionnaire?

A dissertation questionnaire can be defined as follows:

It is a document used in the processes of data gathering.
Questionnaires in PDF used for a dissertation contain questions that can help assess the current condition of the community which is the subject of study within the dissertation.
It specifies the questions that are needed to be answered to assure that there is a basis in terms of the results that will be presented in a dissertation.

How to Write a Dissertation Questionnaire

Writing an efficient and comprehensive dissertation questionnaire can greatly affect the entire dissertation. You can make one by following these steps:

Be specific with the kind of dissertation that you are creating and align the purposes of the dissertation questionnaire that you need to make to your study.
List down the information needed from the community who will provide the answers to your questions.
Open a software where you can create a questionnaire template. You may also download survey questionnaire examples and templates to have a faster time in formatting the document.
The purpose of the dissertation questionnaire.
The guidelines and instructions in answering the dissertation questions.
The name of the person to who will use the questionnaire results to his/her dissertation.
The institution to whom the dissertation will be passed.
List down the questions based on your needs.

Undergraduate Dissertation Questionnaire

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Project Management Dissertation

Size: 54 KB

Guidelines for Writing a Dissertation Questionnaire

There are no strict rules in writing a dissertation questionnaire. However, there are some tips that can help you to create a dissertation questionnaire that is relevant to the study that you are currently doing. Some guidelines:

Make sure that you are well aware of the data that is needed in your dissertation so you can properly curate questions that can supply your information needs.
It will be best to use a dissertation questionnaire format that is organized, easy to understand, and properly structured. This will help the people who will answer the dissertation questionnaire quickly know how they can provide the items that you would like to know.
Always make sure that your instructions in answering the questions are precise and directly stated.
You may look at questionnaires in Word for comparisons. Doing this will help you assess whether there are still areas of improvement that you may tap with the content and format of the dissertation questionnaire that you have created.

Keeping this guidelines in mind and implementing them accordingly will allow you to create a dissertation questionnaire that is beneficial to the processes that you need to have an outstanding dissertation.

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Knowledge Base
Dissertation

How to Write a Dissertation or Thesis Proposal

Published on September 21, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on July 18, 2023.

When starting your thesis or dissertation process, one of the first requirements is a research proposal or a prospectus. It describes what or who you want to examine, delving into why, when, where, and how you will do so, stemming from your research question and a relevant topic .

The proposal or prospectus stage is crucial for the development of your research. It helps you choose a type of research to pursue, as well as whether to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.

You can download our templates in the format of your choice below.

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What should your proposal contain, dissertation question examples, what should your proposal look like, dissertation prospectus examples, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about proposals.

Prior to jumping into the research for your thesis or dissertation, you first need to develop your research proposal and have it approved by your supervisor. It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives .

Depending on your department’s requirements, there may be a defense component involved, where you present your research plan in prospectus format to your committee for their approval.

Your proposal should answer the following questions:

Why is your research necessary?
What is already known about your topic?
Where and when will your research be conducted?
Who should be studied?
How can the research best be done?

Ultimately, your proposal should persuade your supervisor or committee that your proposed project is worth pursuing.

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Strong research kicks off with a solid research question , and dissertations are no exception to this.

Dissertation research questions should be:

Focused on a single problem or issue
Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
Specific enough to answer thoroughly
Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly
What are the main factors enticing people under 30 in suburban areas to engage in the gig economy?
Which techniques prove most effective for 1st-grade teachers at local elementary schools in engaging students with special needs?
Which communication streams are the most effective for getting those aged 18-30 to the polls on Election Day?

An easy rule of thumb is that your proposal will usually resemble a (much) shorter version of your thesis or dissertation. While of course it won’t include the results section , discussion section , or conclusion , it serves as a “mini” version or roadmap for what you eventually seek to write.

Be sure to include:

A succinct introduction to your topic and problem statement
A brief literature review situating your topic within existing research
A basic outline of the research methods you think will best answer your research question
The perceived implications for future research
A reference list in the citation style of your choice

The length of your proposal varies quite a bit depending on your discipline and type of work you’re conducting. While a thesis proposal is often only 3-7 pages long, a prospectus for your dissertation is usually much longer, with more detailed analysis. Dissertation proposals can be up to 25-30 pages in length.

Writing a proposal or prospectus can be a challenge, but we’ve compiled some examples for you to get your started.

Example #1: “Geographic Representations of the Planet Mars, 1867-1907” by Maria Lane
Example #2: “Individuals and the State in Late Bronze Age Greece: Messenian Perspectives on Mycenaean Society” by Dimitri Nakassis
Example #3: “Manhood Up in the Air: A Study of Male Flight Attendants, Queerness, and Corporate Capitalism during the Cold War Era” by Phil Tiemeyer

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If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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The research methods you use depend on the type of data you need to answer your research question .

If you want to measure something or test a hypothesis , use quantitative methods . If you want to explore ideas, thoughts and meanings, use qualitative methods .
If you want to analyze a large amount of readily-available data, use secondary data. If you want data specific to your purposes with control over how it is generated, collect primary data.
If you want to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables , use experimental methods. If you want to understand the characteristics of a research subject, use descriptive methods.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:

Your anticipated title
Your abstract
Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review , research methods , avenues for future research, etc.)

A well-planned research design helps ensure that your methods match your research aims, that you collect high-quality data, and that you use the right kind of analysis to answer your questions, utilizing credible sources . This allows you to draw valid , trustworthy conclusions.

The priorities of a research design can vary depending on the field, but you usually have to specify:

Your research questions and/or hypotheses
Your overall approach (e.g., qualitative or quantitative )
The type of design you’re using (e.g., a survey , experiment , or case study )
Your sampling methods or criteria for selecting subjects
Your data collection methods (e.g., questionnaires , observations)
Your data collection procedures (e.g., operationalization , timing and data management)
Your data analysis methods (e.g., statistical tests or thematic analysis )

A dissertation prospectus or proposal describes what or who you plan to research for your dissertation. It delves into why, when, where, and how you will do your research, as well as helps you choose a type of research to pursue. You should also determine whether you plan to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.

It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives , ready to be approved by your supervisor or committee.

Note that some departments require a defense component, where you present your prospectus to your committee orally.

Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .

However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:

Researchability
Feasibility and specificity
Relevance and originality

Cite this Scribbr article

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12 March 2024

Bring PhD assessment into the twenty-first century

You have full access to this article via your institution.

A woman holding a cup and saucer stands in front of posters presenting medical research

Innovation in PhD education has not reached how doctoral degrees are assessed. Credit: Dan Dunkley/Science Photo Library

Research and teaching in today’s universities are unrecognizable compared with what they were in the early nineteenth century, when Germany and later France gave the world the modern research doctorate. And yet significant aspects of the process of acquiring and assessing a doctorate have remained remarkably constant. A minimum of three years of independent study mentored by a single individual culminates in the production of the doctoral thesis — often a magisterial, book-length piece of work that is assessed in an oral examination by a few senior academic researchers. In an age in which there is much research-informed innovation in teaching and learning, the assessment of the doctoral thesis represents a curious throwback that is seemingly impervious to meaningful reform.

But reform is needed. Some doctoral candidates perceive the current assessment system to lack transparency, and examiners report concerns of falling standards ( G. Houston A Study of the PhD Examination: Process, Attributes and Outcomes . PhD thesis, Oxford Univ.; 2018 ). Making the qualification more structured would help — and, equally importantly, would bring the assessment of PhD education in line with education across the board. PhD candidates with experience of modern assessment methods will become better researchers, wherever they work. Indeed, most will not be working in universities: the majority of PhD holders find employment outside academia.

Collection: Career resources for PhD students

It’s not that PhD training is completely stuck in the nineteenth century. Today’s doctoral candidates can choose from a range of pathways. Professional doctorates, often used in engineering, are jointly supervised by an employer and an academic, and are aimed at solving industry-based problems. Another innovation is PhD by publication, in which, instead of a final thesis on one or more research questions, the criterion for an award is a minimum number of papers published or accepted for publication. In some countries, doctoral students are increasingly being trained in cohorts, with the aim of providing a less isolating experience than that offered by the conventional supervisor–student relationship. PhD candidates are also encouraged to acquire transferable skills — for example, in data analysis, public engagement, project management or business, economics and finance. The value of such training would be even greater if these skills were to be formally assessed alongside a dissertation rather than seen as optional.

And yet, most PhDs are still assessed after the production of a final dissertation, according to a format that, at its core, has not changed for at least half a century, as speakers and delegates noted at an event in London last month on PhD assessment, organized by the Society for Research in Higher Educatio n. Innovations in assessment that are common at other levels of education are struggling to find their way into the conventional doctoral programme.

Take the concept of learning objectives. Intended to aid consistency, fairness and transparency, learning objectives are a summary of what a student is expected to know and how they will be assessed, and are given at the start of a course of study. Part of the ambition is also to help tutors to keep track of their students’ learning and take remedial action before it is too late.

PhD training is no longer fit for purpose — it needs reform now

Formative assessment is another practice that has yet to find its way into PhD assessment consistently. Here, a tutor evaluates a student’s progress at the mid-point of a course and gives feedback or guidance on what students need to do to improve ahead of their final, or summative, assessment. It is not that these methods are absent from modern PhDs; a conscientious supervisor will not leave candidates to sink or swim until the last day. But at many institutions, such approaches are not required of PhD supervisors.

Part of the difficulty is that PhD training is carried out in research departments by people who do not need to have teaching qualifications or awareness of innovations based on education research. Supervisors shouldn’t just be experts in their field, they should also know how best to convey that subject knowledge — along with knowledge of research methods — to their students.

It is probably not possible for universities to require all doctoral supervisors to have teaching qualifications. But there are smaller changes that can be made. At a minimum, doctoral supervisors should take the time to engage with the research that exists in the field of PhD education, and how it can apply to their interactions with students.

There can be no one-size-fits-all solution to improving how a PhD is assessed, because different subjects often have bespoke needs and practices ( P. Denicolo Qual. Assur. Educ. 11 , 84–91; 2003 ). But supervisors and representatives of individual subject communities must continue to discuss what is most appropriate for their disciplines.

All things considered, there is benefit to adopting a more structured approach to PhD assessment. It is high time that PhD education caught up with changes that are now mainstream at most other levels of education. That must start with a closer partnership between education researchers, PhD supervisors and organizers of doctoral-training programmes in universities. This partnership will benefit everyone — PhD supervisors and doctoral students coming into the research workforce, whether in universities or elsewhere.

Education and training in research has entered many secondary schools, along with undergraduate teaching, which is a good thing. In the spirit of mutual learning, research doctoral supervisors, too, will benefit by going back to school.

Nature 627 , 244 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00718-0

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Theses and Dissertations

Check Cornell’s library catalog , which lists the dissertations available in our library collection.

The print thesis collection in Uris Library is currently shelved on Level 3B before the Q to QA regular-sized volumes. Check with the library staff for the thesis shelving locations in other libraries (Mann, Catherwood, Fine Arts, etc.).

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses

According to ProQuest, coverage begins with 1637. With more than 2.4 million entries, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global is the starting point for finding citations to doctoral dissertations and master’s theses. Dissertations published from 1980 forward include 350-word abstracts written by the author. Master’s theses published from 1988 forward include 150-word abstracts. UMI also offers over 1.8 million titles for purchase in microfilm or paper formats. The full text of more than 930,000 are available in PDF format for immediate free download. Use Interlibrary Loan for the titles not available as full text online.

Foreign Dissertations at the Center for Research Libraries

To search for titles and verify holdings of dissertations at the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), use the CRL catalog . CRL seeks to provide comprehensive access to doctoral dissertations submitted to institutions outside the U. S. and Canada (currently more than 750,000 titles). One hundred European universities maintain exchange or deposit agreements with CRL. Russian dissertation abstracts in the social sciences are obtained on microfiche from INION. More detailed information about CRL’s dissertation holdings .

Please see our resource guide on dissertations and theses for additional resources and support.

IMAGES

Sample Questionnaire For Masters Thesis
Sample Survey Thesis Questionnaire About Academic Performance
Sample Questionnaire For Thesis Demographic Profile
(DOC) Thesis Questionnaire 10
Thesis Questionnaire
Sample Questionnaire For Thesis Demographic Profile

VIDEO

Mastering Research: Choosing a Winning Dissertation or Thesis Topic
DESIGNING QUESTIONAIRE/INSTRUMENT
Secrets To Finding High-Impact Research Topics (I NEVER Revealed These Before)
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PhD Thesis Defense. Vadim Sotskov
Dissertation Research

COMMENTS

Questionnaire Design
Revised on June 22, 2023. A questionnaire is a list of questions or items used to gather data from respondents about their attitudes, experiences, or opinions. Questionnaires can be used to collect quantitative and/or qualitative information. Questionnaires are commonly used in market research as well as in the social and health sciences.
Questionnaire Design Tip Sheet
How to Frame and Explain the Survey Data Used in a Thesis; Overview of Cognitive Testing and Questionnaire Evaluation; Questionnaire Design Tip Sheet; Sampling, Coverage, and Nonresponse Tip Sheet; PSR Survey Toolbox. Introduction to Surveys for Honors Thesis Writers; Managing and Manipulating Survey Data: A Beginners Guide
Designing a Questionnaire for a Research Paper: A Comprehensive Guide
A questionnaire is an important instrument in a research study to help the researcher collect relevant data regarding the research topic. It is significant to ensure that the design of the ...
Sample Questionnaires
To the institutional coordinator: This questionnaire is intended to collect data about university-provided resources that are available to all doctoral programs. Typically, the ideal respondent will be in the university's office of institutional research. Most of the questions apply to all programs. One, on laboratory space, applies only to the ...
PDF QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN
This advice sheet introduces you to some of the basics of designing a good questionnaire. Many research projects and dissertations demand the collection of primary data from individuals. Questionnaires are often the best way of gathering such information and views. However, a badly designed questionnaire may get only unusable responses or none ...
Crafting Effective Questionnaires for PhD Research: A Step ...
Crafting effective questionnaires is crucial for PhD research for several reasons: Obtaining reliable and valid data: Effective questionnaires ensure that the data collected is reliable and valid, which is essential for making accurate conclusions and recommendations based on the research findings. Enhancing the credibility of the research: If ...
Appendix D: Sample Questionnaires
Faculty Questionnaire 4. Student Questionnaires a. Questionnaire for Acimittecl-to-Cancliclacy Doctoral Students b. Questionnaire for Program Gracluates 105 106 Institutional Questionnaire To the institutional coordinator: This questionnaire is intended to collect data about university-provided resources that are available to all doctoral programs.
Designing a Questionnaire for a Research Paper: A Comprehensive Guide
Designing a Questionnaire for a Research Paper: A Comprehensive Guide to Design and Develop an Effective Questionnaire . Hamed Taherdoost . University Canada West, Vancouver, Canada . E-mail: [email protected] . Abstract - A questionnaire is an important instrument in a research study to help the researcher collect relevant data
(PDF) The Design and Use of Questionnaires in ...
Questionnaire Design-Practic alities and Considerations Stone (1993, p. 1264) suggests , " A good questionnaire works ." That is a very short, yet I believe , highly accurate descripti on of an
How to Frame and Explain the Survey Data Used in a Thesis
Surveys are a special research tool with strengths, weaknesses, and a language all of their own. There are many different steps to designing and conducting a survey, and survey researchers have specific ways of describing what they do.This handout, based on an annual workshop offered by the Program on Survey Research at Harvard, is geared toward undergraduate honors thesis writers using survey ...
PhD Questionnaire Samples for Research Paper
1. Type of Questionnaires. 2. Type of questions. 3. Sections. The questionnaire must be in line with the objectives of research. Each question mentioned must refer to some objective. It should only contain relevant questions which must not hurt the sentiments of the target respondents in any way to avoid bias.
How short or long should be a questionnaire for any research
Response rate is defined as the number of people who responded to a question asked divided by the number of total potential respondents. Response rate which is a crucial factor in determining the quality and generalizability of the outcome of the survey depends indirectly on the length and number of questions in a questionnaire.[7,8]Several studies have been conducted to assess the ...
Your postgraduate student guide to using a research questionnaire for
Prof Martyn Denscombe, author of "The Good Research Guide, 6th edition", gives expert advice on using a questionnaire survey for your postgraduate dissertation. Questionnaire surveys are a well-established way of collecting data. They can be used with relatively small-scale research projects, and research questionnaires can be designed and delivered quite quickly and cheaply. It is […]
A Comprehensive Guide for Designing and Administering a Questionnaire
Once your PhD thesis proposal is approved, the next step involves actual data collection. Depending on the study, a student may choose to collect secondary data, primary data or both. A questionnaire is used to collect primary data. It is a set of questions that a researcher asks his/her research respondents so as to understand the problem ...
How do i start developing my questionnaire for phd research?
Work on developing different section for the questionnaire then in each section you can frame the related question. Try to add different types of questions such as rating scale, multiple choices ...
Survey vs. Questionnaire: What's the Difference?
Survey vs. Questionnaire. Yes, there is a difference! A questionnaire is an instrument (like an interview protocol, an observation plan, or an experiment)—a written set of questions. Survey is a broader term that encompasses both the instrument (questionnaire) and the process of employing the instrument—collecting and analyzing the ...
PhD Research Questionnaire Designing Services, Thesis Questionnaire
Our PhD Research Questionnaire Designing Services ease your way into collecting appropriate data and analysing it by creating the exact required questionnaire for you. Our Thesis Questionnaire Help adds another layer of support to your research journey. With our expertise, we craft well-structured questionnaires that align with your research ...
PDF CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
A covering letter was attached to the questionnaire to inform the respondents about the aims of the research and other issues such as the anonymity of their answers. The research participants were not asked for their names in the questionnaire and a respondent ID number was used as the identifier within the coding and analysis procedure.
Dissertation Questionnaire
Dissertation Questionnaire. A dissertation is a document usually a requirement for a doctoral degree especially in the field of philosophy. This long essay discusses a particular subject matter uses questionnaires and other sources of data and is used to validate its content. The questionnaire's importance is evident in the processes of data gathering as it can make the dissertation factual ...
How to Write a Dissertation or Thesis Proposal
When starting your thesis or dissertation process, one of the first requirements is a research proposal or a prospectus. It describes what or who you want to examine, delving into why, when, where, and how you will do so, stemming from your research question and a relevant topic. The proposal or prospectus stage is crucial for the development ...
Bring PhD assessment into the twenty-first century
PhD thesis, Oxford Univ.; 2018). Making the qualification more structured would help — and, equally importantly, would bring the assessment of PhD education in line with education across the board.
PDF GRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE
GRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE ... You will be asked to complete this questionnaire after you have submitted your research thesis and to return it within 14 days. The purpose of the ... Title in full of the research degree for which you have completed your thesis/coursework: (e.g., PhD, Master of Arts, D. Ed., D.B.A.): ...
(PDF) PhD
November 2013. Kevin Daniel André Carillo. Download. PDF | On Nov 12, 2013, Kevin Daniel André Carillo published PhD - Final survey questionnaire | Find, read and cite all the research you need ...
PDF Generative Design Tools: Implications on Design Process, Designer
1.3 Thesis Organization There are five chapters in this dissertation. Chapter 2 uses interviews of designers incorporating generative design tools to develop a generative design process. Chapter 3 builds on these interviews to establish observations on the implications of using these tools on the design process and designer behaviors.
Theses and Dissertations
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. According to ProQuest, coverage begins with 1637. With more than 2.4 million entries, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global is the starting point for finding citations to doctoral dissertations and master's theses. Dissertations published from 1980 forward include 350-word abstracts written by the author.