research instrument checklist example

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Hands-on guide to questionnaire research

Selecting, designing, and developing your questionnaire, petra m boynton.

1 Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, University College London, Archway Campus, London N19 5LW

Trisha Greenhalgh

Associated data, short abstract.

Anybody can write down a list of questions and photocopy it, but producing worthwhile and generalisable data from questionnaires needs careful planning and imaginative design

The great popularity with questionnaires is they provide a “quick fix” for research methodology. No single method has been so abused. 1

Questionnaires offer an objective means of collecting information about people's knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour. 2 , 3 Do our patients like our opening hours? What do teenagers think of a local antidrugs campaign and has it changed their attitudes? Why don't doctors use computers to their maximum potential? Questionnaires can be used as the sole research instrument (such as in a cross sectional survey) or within clinical trials or epidemiological studies.

Randomised trials are subject to strict reporting criteria, 4 but there is no comparable framework for questionnaire research. Hence, despite a wealth of detailed guidance in the specialist literature, 1 - 3 , 5 w1-w8 elementary methodological errors are common. 1 Inappropriate instruments and lack of rigour inevitably lead to poor quality data, misleading conclusions, and woolly recommendations. w8 In this series we aim to present a practical guide that will enable research teams to do questionnaire research that is well designed, well managed, and non-discriminatory and which contributes to a generalisable evidence base. We start with selecting and designing the questionnaire. ​ questionnaire.

What information are you trying to collect?

You and your co-researchers may have different assumptions about precisely what information you would like your study to generate. A formal scoping exercise will ensure that you clarify goals and if necessary reach an agreed compromise. It will also flag up potential practical problems—for example, how long the questionnaire will be and how it might be administered.

As a rule of thumb, if you are not familiar enough with the research area or with a particular population subgroup to predict the range of possible responses, and especially if such details are not available in the literature, you should first use a qualitative approach (such as focus groups) to explore the territory and map key areas for further study. 6

Is a questionnaire appropriate?

People often decide to use a questionnaire for research questions that need a different method. Sometimes, a questionnaire will be appropriate only if used within a mixed methodology study—for example, to extend and quantify the findings of an initial exploratory phase. Table A on bmj.com gives some real examples where questionnaires were used inappropriately. 1

Box 1: Pitfalls of designing your own questionnaire

Natasha, a practice nurse, learns that staff at a local police station have a high incidence of health problems, which she believes are related to stress at work. She wants to test the relation between stress and health in these staff to inform the design of advice services. Natasha designs her own questionnaire. Had she completed a thorough literature search for validated measures, she would have found several high quality questionnaires that measure stress in public sector workers. 8 Natasha's hard work produces only a second rate study that she is unable to get published.

Research participants must be able to give meaningful answers (with help from a professional interviewer if necessary). Particular physical, mental, social, and linguistic needs are covered in the third article of this series. 7

Could you use an existing instrument?

Using a previously validated and published questionnaire will save you time and resources; you will be able to compare your own findings with those from other studies, you need only give outline details of the instrument when you write up your work, and you may find it easier to get published (box 1).

Increasingly, health services research uses standard questionnaires designed for producing data that can be compared across studies. For example, clinical trials routinely include measures of patients' knowledge about a disease, 9 satisfaction with services, 10 or health related quality of life. 11 - 13 w3 w9 The validity (see below) of this approach depends on whether the type and range of closed responses reflects the full range of perceptions and feelings that people in all the different potential sampling frames might hold. Importantly, health status and quality of life instruments lose their validity when used beyond the context in which they were developed. 12 , 14 , 15 w3 w10-12

If there is no “off the peg” questionnaire available, you will have to construct your own. Using one or more standard instruments alongside a short bespoke questionnaire could save you the need to develop and validate a long list of new items.

Is the questionnaire valid and reliable?

A valid questionnaire measures what it claims to measure. In reality, many fail to do this. For example, a self completion questionnaire that seeks to measure people's food intake may be invalid because it measures what they say they have eaten, not what they have actually eaten. 16 Similarly, responses on questionnaires that ask general practitioners how they manage particular clinical conditions differ significantly from actual clinical practice. w13 An instrument developed in a different time, country, or cultural context may not be a valid measure in the group you are studying. For example, the item “I often attend gay parties” may have been a valid measure of a person's sociability level in the 1950s, but the wording has a very different connotation today.

Reliable questionnaires yield consistent results from repeated samples and different researchers over time. Differences in results come from differences between participants, not from inconsistencies in how the items are understood or how different observers interpret the responses. A standardised questionnaire is one that is written and administered so all participants are asked the precisely the same questions in an identical format and responses recorded in a uniform manner. Standardising a measure increases its reliability.

Just because a questionnaire has been piloted on a few of your colleagues, used in previous studies, or published in a peer reviewed journal does not mean it is either valid or reliable. The detailed techniques for achieving validity, reliability, and standardisation are beyond the scope of this series. If you plan to develop or modify a questionnaire yourself, you must consult a specialist text on these issues. 2 , 3

How should you present your questions?

Questionnaire items may be open or closed ended and be presented in various formats ( figure ). Table B on bmj.com examines the pros and cons of the two approaches. Two words that are often used inappropriately in closed question stems are frequently and regularly. A poorly designed item might read, “I frequently engage in exercise,” and offer a Likert scale giving responses from “strongly agree” through to “strongly disagree.” But “frequently” implies frequency, so a frequency based rating scale (with options such as at least once a day, twice a week, and so on) would be more appropriate. “Regularly,” on the other hand, implies a pattern. One person can regularly engage in exercise once a month whereas another person can regularly do so four times a week. Other weasel words to avoid in question stems include commonly, usually, many, some, and hardly ever. 17 w14

Examples of formats for presenting questionnaire items

Box 2: A closed ended design that produced misleading information

Customer: I'd like to discontinue my mobile phone rental please.

Company employee: That's fine, sir, but I need to complete a form for our records on why you've made that decision. Is it (a) you have moved to another network; (b) you've upgraded within our network; or (c) you can't afford the payments?

Customer: It isn't any of those. I've just decided I don't want to own a mobile phone any more. It's more hassle than it's worth.

Company employee: [after a pause] In that case, sir, I'll have to put you down as “can't afford the payments.”

Closed ended designs enable researchers to produce aggregated data quickly, but the range of possible answers is set by the researchers not respondents, and the richness of potential responses is lower. Closed ended items often cause frustration, usually because researchers have not considered all potential responses (box 2). 18

Ticking a particular box, or even saying yes, no, or maybe can make respondents want to explain their answer, and such free text annotations may add richly to the quantitative data. You should consider inserting a free text box at the end of the questionnaire (or even after particular items or sections). Note that participants need instructions (perhaps with examples) on how to complete free text items in the same way as they do for closed questions.

If you plan to use open ended questions or invite free text comments, you must plan in advance how you will analyse these data (drawing on the skills of a qualitative researcher if necessary). 19 You must also build into the study design adequate time, skills, and resources for this analysis; otherwise you will waste participants' and researchers' time. If you do not have the time or expertise to analyse free text responses, do not invite any.

Some respondents (known as yea sayers) tend to agree with statements rather than disagree. For this reason, do not present your items so that strongly agree always links to the same broad attitude. For example, on a patient satisfaction scale, if one question is “my GP generally tries to help me out,” another question should be phrased in the negative, such as “the receptionists are usually impolite.”

Apart from questions, what else should you include?

A common error by people designing questionnaires for the first time is simply to hand out a list of the questions they want answered. Table C on bmj.com gives a checklist of other things to consider. It is particularly important to provide an introductory letter or information sheet for participants to take away after completing the questionnaire.

What should the questionnaire look like?

Researchers rarely spend sufficient time on the physical layout of their questionnaire, believing that the science lies in the content of the questions and not in such details as the font size or colour. Yet empirical studies have repeatedly shown that low response rates are often due to participants being unable to read or follow the questionnaire (box 3). 3 w6 In general, questions should be short and to the point (around 12 words or less), but for issues of a sensitive and personal nature, short questions can be perceived as abrupt and threatening, and longer sentences are preferred. w6

How should you select your sample?

Different sampling techniques will affect the questions you ask and how you administer your questionnaire (see table D on bmj.com ). For more detailed advice on sampling, see Bowling 20 and Sapsford. 3

If you are collecting quantitative data with a view to testing a hypothesis or assessing the prevalence of a disease or problem (for example, about intergroup differences in particular attitudes or health status), seek statistical advice on the minimum sample size. 3

What approvals do you need before you start?

Unlike other methods, questionnaires require relatively little specialist equipment or materials, which means that inexperienced and unsupported researchers sometimes embark on questionnaire surveys without completing the necessary formalities. In the United Kingdom, a research study on NHS patients or staff must be:

• Formally approved by the relevant person in an organisation that is registered with the Department of Health as a research sponsor (typically, a research trust, university or college) 21 ;
• Consistent with data protection law and logged on the organisation's data protection files (see next article in series) 19
• Accordant with research governance frameworks 21
• Approved by the appropriate research ethics committee (see below).

Box 3: Don't let layout let you down

Meena, a general practice tutor, wanted to study her fellow general practitioners' attitudes to a new training scheme in her primary care trust. She constructed a series of questions, but when they were written down, they covered 10 pages, which Meena thought looked off putting. She reduced the font and spacing of her questionnaire, and printed it double sided, until it was only four sides in length. But many of her colleagues refused to complete it, telling her they found it too hard to read and work through. She returned the questionnaire to its original 10 page format, which made it easier and quicker to complete, and her response rate increased greatly.

Summary points

Questionnaire studies often fail to produce high quality generalisable data

When possible, use previously validated questionnaires

Questions must be phrased appropriately for the target audience and information required

Good explanations and design will improve response rates

In addition, if your questionnaire study is part of a formal academic course (for example, a dissertation), you must follow any additional regulations such as gaining written approval from your supervisor.

A study is unethical if it is scientifically unsound, causes undue offence or trauma, breaches confidentiality, or wastes people's time or money. Written approval from a local or multicentre NHS research ethics committee (more information at www.corec.org.uk ) is essential but does not in itself make a study ethical. Those working in non-NHS institutions or undertaking research outside the NHS may need to submit an additional (non-NHS) ethical committee application to their own institution or research sponsor.

The committee will require details of the study design, copies of your questionnaire, and any accompanying information or covering letters. If the questionnaire is likely to cause distress, you should include a clear plan for providing support to both participants and researchers. Remember that just because you do not find a question offensive or distressing does not mean it will not upset others. 6

As we have shown above, designing a questionnaire study that produces usable data is not as easy as it might seem. Awareness of the pitfalls is essential both when planning research and appraising published studies. Table E on bmj.com gives a critical appraisal checklist for evaluating questionnaire studies. In the following two articles we will discuss how to select a sample, pilot and administer a questionnaire, and analyse data and approaches for groups that are hard to research.

Supplementary Material

This is the first in a series of three articles on questionnaire research

Susan Catt supplied additional references and feedback. We also thank Alicia O'Cathain, Jill Russell, Geoff Wong, Marcia Rigby, Sara Shaw, Fraser MacFarlane, and Will Callaghan for feedback on earlier versions. Numerous research students and conference delegates provided methodological questions and case examples of real life questionnaire research, which provided the inspiration and raw material for this series. We also thank the hundreds of research participants who over the years have contributed data and given feedback to our students and ourselves about the design, layout, and accessibility of instruments.

Contributors and sources: PMB and TG have taught research methods in a primary care setting for the past 13 years, specialising in practical approaches and using the experiences and concerns of researchers and participants as the basis of learning. This series of papers arose directly from questions asked about real questionnaire studies. To address these questions we explored a wide range of sources from the psychological and health services research literature.

Competing interests: None declared.

Research Instruments

• Resources for Identifying Instruments
• Assessing Instruments
• Obtaining the Full Instrument
• Getting Help

What are Research Instruments?

A research instrument is a tool used to collect, measure, and analyze data related to  your subject.

Research instruments can  be tests , surveys , scales ,  questionnaires , or even checklists .

To assure the strength of your study, it is important to use previously validated instruments!

Getting Started

Already know the full name of the instrument you're looking for? 

• Start here!

Finding a research instrument can be very time-consuming!

This process involves three concrete steps:

It is common that sources will not provide the full instrument, but they will provide a citation with the publisher. In some cases, you may have to contact the publisher to obtain the full text.

Research Tip :  Talk to your departmental faculty. Many of them have expertise in working with research instruments and can help you with this process.

• Next: Identifying a Research Instrument >>
• Last Updated: Aug 27, 2023 9:34 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.duq.edu/researchinstruments

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25 Checklists

There are many checklists available to help guide you through this critical process of evaluating your sources; you may have heard of the CRA(A)P test, RADAR, Rate my Source, or something similar. All of these lists are really just devices to help novice researchers remember the criteria by which they should evaluate the information they find.

Beyond checking that your source satisfies some of the criteria suggested  below, your search should also involve digging a little deeper. What can you learn from a Google search about the site, author, or publisher?

The following list is meant to be a starting point for you to develop your own internalized set of questions.

Click the arrows below.

Doing Research Copyright © 2020 by Celia Brinkerhoff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Data Analysis with SPSS for Survey-based Research pp 1–8 Cite as

Research Instrument Design and Sample

• Saiyidi Mat Roni 3 &
• Hadrian Geri Djajadikerta 3  
• First Online: 22 June 2021

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Research is a journey. While the destination is the end, it is the process that adds colours to the fun. A good research answers questions and offers solutions. Even when the research concludes with no definitive answer, the work offers ways to investigate a phenomenon (or demonstrates the not-to-do ways because these are deemed unsuccessful!). And to kick off with the journey, we explore two technical parts of research in this chapter– survey questionnaire and sample size. The survey questionnaire is the tool where you use to collect data from the sample. The sample size is the total number of individuals for whom the survey is sent. We demonstrate how you can create the right questions to get the right answers from the right number of individuals.

• Latent variable
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• Sample size
• Statistical power

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Moorman C, Deshpandé R, Zaltman G (1993) Factors affecting trust in market research relationships. J Mark 57(1):81–101.

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Home » Questionnaire – Definition, Types, and Examples

Questionnaire – Definition, Types, and Examples

Table of Contents

Questionnaire

Definition:

A Questionnaire is a research tool or survey instrument that consists of a set of questions or prompts designed to gather information from individuals or groups of people.

It is a standardized way of collecting data from a large number of people by asking them a series of questions related to a specific topic or research objective. The questions may be open-ended or closed-ended, and the responses can be quantitative or qualitative. Questionnaires are widely used in research, marketing, social sciences, healthcare, and many other fields to collect data and insights from a target population.

History of Questionnaire

The history of questionnaires can be traced back to the ancient Greeks, who used questionnaires as a means of assessing public opinion. However, the modern history of questionnaires began in the late 19th century with the rise of social surveys.

The first social survey was conducted in the United States in 1874 by Francis A. Walker, who used a questionnaire to collect data on labor conditions. In the early 20th century, questionnaires became a popular tool for conducting social research, particularly in the fields of sociology and psychology.

One of the most influential figures in the development of the questionnaire was the psychologist Raymond Cattell, who in the 1940s and 1950s developed the personality questionnaire, a standardized instrument for measuring personality traits. Cattell’s work helped establish the questionnaire as a key tool in personality research.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the use of questionnaires expanded into other fields, including market research, public opinion polling, and health surveys. With the rise of computer technology, questionnaires became easier and more cost-effective to administer, leading to their widespread use in research and business settings.

Today, questionnaires are used in a wide range of settings, including academic research, business, healthcare, and government. They continue to evolve as a research tool, with advances in computer technology and data analysis techniques making it easier to collect and analyze data from large numbers of participants.

Types of Questionnaire

Types of Questionnaires are as follows:

Structured Questionnaire

This type of questionnaire has a fixed format with predetermined questions that the respondent must answer. The questions are usually closed-ended, which means that the respondent must select a response from a list of options.

Unstructured Questionnaire

An unstructured questionnaire does not have a fixed format or predetermined questions. Instead, the interviewer or researcher can ask open-ended questions to the respondent and let them provide their own answers.

Open-ended Questionnaire

An open-ended questionnaire allows the respondent to answer the question in their own words, without any pre-determined response options. The questions usually start with phrases like “how,” “why,” or “what,” and encourage the respondent to provide more detailed and personalized answers.

Close-ended Questionnaire

In a closed-ended questionnaire, the respondent is given a set of predetermined response options to choose from. This type of questionnaire is easier to analyze and summarize, but may not provide as much insight into the respondent’s opinions or attitudes.

Mixed Questionnaire

A mixed questionnaire is a combination of open-ended and closed-ended questions. This type of questionnaire allows for more flexibility in terms of the questions that can be asked, and can provide both quantitative and qualitative data.

Pictorial Questionnaire:

In a pictorial questionnaire, instead of using words to ask questions, the questions are presented in the form of pictures, diagrams or images. This can be particularly useful for respondents who have low literacy skills, or for situations where language barriers exist. Pictorial questionnaires can also be useful in cross-cultural research where respondents may come from different language backgrounds.

Types of Questions in Questionnaire

The types of Questions in Questionnaire are as follows:

Multiple Choice Questions

These questions have several options for participants to choose from. They are useful for getting quantitative data and can be used to collect demographic information.

• a. Red b . Blue c. Green d . Yellow

Rating Scale Questions

These questions ask participants to rate something on a scale (e.g. from 1 to 10). They are useful for measuring attitudes and opinions.

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend?

Open-Ended Questions

These questions allow participants to answer in their own words and provide more in-depth and detailed responses. They are useful for getting qualitative data.

• What do you think are the biggest challenges facing your community?

Likert Scale Questions

These questions ask participants to rate how much they agree or disagree with a statement. They are useful for measuring attitudes and opinions.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

“I enjoy exercising regularly.”

• a . Strongly Agree
• c . Neither Agree nor Disagree
• d . Disagree
• e . Strongly Disagree

Demographic Questions

These questions ask about the participant’s personal information such as age, gender, ethnicity, education level, etc. They are useful for segmenting the data and analyzing results by demographic groups.

• What is your age?

Yes/No Questions

These questions only have two options: Yes or No. They are useful for getting simple, straightforward answers to a specific question.

Have you ever traveled outside of your home country?

Ranking Questions

These questions ask participants to rank several items in order of preference or importance. They are useful for measuring priorities or preferences.

Please rank the following factors in order of importance when choosing a restaurant:

• a. Quality of Food
• c. Ambiance
• d. Location

Matrix Questions

These questions present a matrix or grid of options that participants can choose from. They are useful for getting data on multiple variables at once.

Dichotomous Questions

These questions present two options that are opposite or contradictory. They are useful for measuring binary or polarized attitudes.

Do you support the death penalty?

How to Make a Questionnaire

Step-by-Step Guide for Making a Questionnaire:

• Define your research objectives: Before you start creating questions, you need to define the purpose of your questionnaire and what you hope to achieve from the data you collect.
• Choose the appropriate question types: Based on your research objectives, choose the appropriate question types to collect the data you need. Refer to the types of questions mentioned earlier for guidance.
• Develop questions: Develop clear and concise questions that are easy for participants to understand. Avoid leading or biased questions that might influence the responses.
• Organize questions: Organize questions in a logical and coherent order, starting with demographic questions followed by general questions, and ending with specific or sensitive questions.
• Pilot the questionnaire : Test your questionnaire on a small group of participants to identify any flaws or issues with the questions or the format.
• Refine the questionnaire : Based on feedback from the pilot, refine and revise the questionnaire as necessary to ensure that it is valid and reliable.
• Distribute the questionnaire: Distribute the questionnaire to your target audience using a method that is appropriate for your research objectives, such as online surveys, email, or paper surveys.
• Collect and analyze data: Collect the completed questionnaires and analyze the data using appropriate statistical methods. Draw conclusions from the data and use them to inform decision-making or further research.
• Report findings: Present your findings in a clear and concise report, including a summary of the research objectives, methodology, key findings, and recommendations.

Questionnaire Administration Modes

There are several modes of questionnaire administration. The choice of mode depends on the research objectives, sample size, and available resources. Some common modes of administration include:

• Self-administered paper questionnaires: Participants complete the questionnaire on paper, either in person or by mail. This mode is relatively low cost and easy to administer, but it may result in lower response rates and greater potential for errors in data entry.
• Online questionnaires: Participants complete the questionnaire on a website or through email. This mode is convenient for both researchers and participants, as it allows for fast and easy data collection. However, it may be subject to issues such as low response rates, lack of internet access, and potential for fraudulent responses.
• Telephone surveys: Trained interviewers administer the questionnaire over the phone. This mode allows for a large sample size and can result in higher response rates, but it is also more expensive and time-consuming than other modes.
• Face-to-face interviews : Trained interviewers administer the questionnaire in person. This mode allows for a high degree of control over the survey environment and can result in higher response rates, but it is also more expensive and time-consuming than other modes.
• Mixed-mode surveys: Researchers use a combination of two or more modes to administer the questionnaire, such as using online questionnaires for initial screening and following up with telephone interviews for more detailed information. This mode can help overcome some of the limitations of individual modes, but it requires careful planning and coordination.

Example of Questionnaire

Title of the Survey: Customer Satisfaction Survey

Introduction:

We appreciate your business and would like to ensure that we are meeting your needs. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey so that we can better understand your experience with our products and services. Your feedback is important to us and will help us improve our offerings.

Instructions:

Please read each question carefully and select the response that best reflects your experience. If you have any additional comments or suggestions, please feel free to include them in the space provided at the end of the survey.

1. How satisfied are you with our product quality?

• Very satisfied
• Somewhat satisfied
• Somewhat dissatisfied
• Very dissatisfied

2. How satisfied are you with our customer service?

3. How satisfied are you with the price of our products?

4. How likely are you to recommend our products to others?

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Somewhat unlikely
• Very unlikely

5. How easy was it to find the information you were looking for on our website?

• Somewhat easy
• Somewhat difficult
• Very difficult

6. How satisfied are you with the overall experience of using our products and services?

7. Is there anything that you would like to see us improve upon or change in the future?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Conclusion:

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your feedback is valuable to us and will help us improve our products and services. If you have any further comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Applications of Questionnaire

Some common applications of questionnaires include:

• Research : Questionnaires are commonly used in research to gather information from participants about their attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and experiences. This information can then be analyzed and used to draw conclusions and make inferences.
• Healthcare : In healthcare, questionnaires can be used to gather information about patients’ medical history, symptoms, and lifestyle habits. This information can help healthcare professionals diagnose and treat medical conditions more effectively.
• Marketing : Questionnaires are commonly used in marketing to gather information about consumers’ preferences, buying habits, and opinions on products and services. This information can help businesses develop and market products more effectively.
• Human Resources: Questionnaires are used in human resources to gather information from job applicants, employees, and managers about job satisfaction, performance, and workplace culture. This information can help organizations improve their hiring practices, employee retention, and organizational culture.
• Education : Questionnaires are used in education to gather information from students, teachers, and parents about their perceptions of the educational experience. This information can help educators identify areas for improvement and develop more effective teaching strategies.

Purpose of Questionnaire

Some common purposes of questionnaires include:

• To collect information on attitudes, opinions, and beliefs: Questionnaires can be used to gather information on people’s attitudes, opinions, and beliefs on a particular topic. For example, a questionnaire can be used to gather information on people’s opinions about a particular political issue.
• To collect demographic information: Questionnaires can be used to collect demographic information such as age, gender, income, education level, and occupation. This information can be used to analyze trends and patterns in the data.
• To measure behaviors or experiences: Questionnaires can be used to gather information on behaviors or experiences such as health-related behaviors or experiences, job satisfaction, or customer satisfaction.
• To evaluate programs or interventions: Questionnaires can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of programs or interventions by gathering information on participants’ experiences, opinions, and behaviors.
• To gather information for research: Questionnaires can be used to gather data for research purposes on a variety of topics.

When to use Questionnaire

Here are some situations when questionnaires might be used:

• When you want to collect data from a large number of people: Questionnaires are useful when you want to collect data from a large number of people. They can be distributed to a wide audience and can be completed at the respondent’s convenience.
• When you want to collect data on specific topics: Questionnaires are useful when you want to collect data on specific topics or research questions. They can be designed to ask specific questions and can be used to gather quantitative data that can be analyzed statistically.
• When you want to compare responses across groups: Questionnaires are useful when you want to compare responses across different groups of people. For example, you might want to compare responses from men and women, or from people of different ages or educational backgrounds.
• When you want to collect data anonymously: Questionnaires can be useful when you want to collect data anonymously. Respondents can complete the questionnaire without fear of judgment or repercussions, which can lead to more honest and accurate responses.
• When you want to save time and resources: Questionnaires can be more efficient and cost-effective than other methods of data collection such as interviews or focus groups. They can be completed quickly and easily, and can be analyzed using software to save time and resources.

Characteristics of Questionnaire

Here are some of the characteristics of questionnaires:

• Standardization : Questionnaires are standardized tools that ask the same questions in the same order to all respondents. This ensures that all respondents are answering the same questions and that the responses can be compared and analyzed.
• Objectivity : Questionnaires are designed to be objective, meaning that they do not contain leading questions or bias that could influence the respondent’s answers.
• Predefined responses: Questionnaires typically provide predefined response options for the respondents to choose from, which helps to standardize the responses and make them easier to analyze.
• Quantitative data: Questionnaires are designed to collect quantitative data, meaning that they provide numerical or categorical data that can be analyzed using statistical methods.
• Convenience : Questionnaires are convenient for both the researcher and the respondents. They can be distributed and completed at the respondent’s convenience and can be easily administered to a large number of people.
• Anonymity : Questionnaires can be anonymous, which can encourage respondents to answer more honestly and provide more accurate data.
• Reliability : Questionnaires are designed to be reliable, meaning that they produce consistent results when administered multiple times to the same group of people.
• Validity : Questionnaires are designed to be valid, meaning that they measure what they are intended to measure and are not influenced by other factors.

Advantage of Questionnaire

Some Advantage of Questionnaire are as follows:

• Standardization: Questionnaires allow researchers to ask the same questions to all participants in a standardized manner. This helps ensure consistency in the data collected and eliminates potential bias that might arise if questions were asked differently to different participants.
• Efficiency: Questionnaires can be administered to a large number of people at once, making them an efficient way to collect data from a large sample.
• Anonymity: Participants can remain anonymous when completing a questionnaire, which may make them more likely to answer honestly and openly.
• Cost-effective: Questionnaires can be relatively inexpensive to administer compared to other research methods, such as interviews or focus groups.
• Objectivity: Because questionnaires are typically designed to collect quantitative data, they can be analyzed objectively without the influence of the researcher’s subjective interpretation.
• Flexibility: Questionnaires can be adapted to a wide range of research questions and can be used in various settings, including online surveys, mail surveys, or in-person interviews.

Limitations of Questionnaire

Limitations of Questionnaire are as follows:

• Limited depth: Questionnaires are typically designed to collect quantitative data, which may not provide a complete understanding of the topic being studied. Questionnaires may miss important details and nuances that could be captured through other research methods, such as interviews or observations.
• R esponse bias: Participants may not always answer questions truthfully or accurately, either because they do not remember or because they want to present themselves in a particular way. This can lead to response bias, which can affect the validity and reliability of the data collected.
• Limited flexibility: While questionnaires can be adapted to a wide range of research questions, they may not be suitable for all types of research. For example, they may not be appropriate for studying complex phenomena or for exploring participants’ experiences and perceptions in-depth.
• Limited context: Questionnaires typically do not provide a rich contextual understanding of the topic being studied. They may not capture the broader social, cultural, or historical factors that may influence participants’ responses.
• Limited control : Researchers may not have control over how participants complete the questionnaire, which can lead to variations in response quality or consistency.

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Research Methodology

Student resources, checkpoint: quantitative research instruments.

Visit this website:  What are some examples of quantitative research instruments, and how do they differ from qualitative instruments?

Visit this website:  How do you choose a quantitative research instrument that is well-suited to your research?

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• Research paper

Checklist: Writing a Great Research Paper

Published on October 16, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on November 29, 2022.

A research paper is an extended piece of writing based on in-depth independent research. It may involve conducting empirical research or analyzing primary and secondary sources .

Writing a good research paper requires you to demonstrate a strong knowledge of your topic and advance an original argument. To convincingly communicate your ideas, you need a logical structure and a clear style that follows the conventions of academic writing .

When you’ve finished writing your paper, use this checklist to evaluate your work.

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Checklist: Research paper

I have followed all instructions in the assignment sheet.

My introduction presents my topic in an engaging way and provides necessary background information.

My introduction presents a clear, focused research problem and/or thesis statement .

My paper is logically organized using paragraphs and (if relevant) section headings .

Each paragraph is clearly focused on one central idea, expressed in a clear topic sentence .

Each paragraph is relevant to my research problem or thesis statement.

I have used appropriate transitions  to clarify the connections between sections, paragraphs, and sentences.

My conclusion provides a concise answer to the research question or emphasizes how the thesis has been supported.

My conclusion shows how my research has contributed to knowledge or understanding of my topic.

My conclusion does not present any new points or information essential to my argument.

I have provided an in-text citation every time I refer to ideas or information from a source.

I have included a reference list at the end of my paper, consistently formatted according to a specific citation style .

I have thoroughly revised my paper and addressed any feedback from my professor or supervisor.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (page numbers, headers, spacing, etc.).

You've written a great paper. Make sure it's perfect with the help of a Scribbr editor!

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2022, November 29). Checklist: Writing a Great Research Paper. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-paper/research-paper-checklist/

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Finding Research Instruments: ERIC

• Health & Psychosocial Instruments
• Mental Measurements Yearbook
• Find Journals by Title This link opens in a new window
• Interlibrary Loan

What is ERIC?

ERIC is an excellent database for searching the education literature.

• ERIC (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window This database, sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education, includes citations, abstracts, and full-text of scholarly journal articles, reports, and more related to all facets of education.

Important Definitions

• searchable research tool that includes records about a wide range of sources, primarily articles
• collection of information about a single item, usually an article, within a database; includes several fields
• section of a record that provides a specific piece of information about the item described (the title, the author, the abstract, etc.)

Truncation (*)

• the star or asterisk key tells the database to look for any ending of a word; one example: searching for measure* in a database would find the words measure, measures, and measurement

Searching By Topic

To find instruments about your research topic, use keywords about it in one or more of the search boxes. In the final box, try using this string of words: test* OR measure* OR survey* OR questionnaire* OR scale* OR batter* OR inventor* OR checklist* OR instrument* OR pretest* OR posttest* OR interview* . It's generally unwise to limit to any particular field here, since the name of a test may show up in the abstract or the identifier, so to be comprehensive you need to search both.

To narrow your results, if they're too broad, consider using the ERIC Thesaurus to find the appropriate descriptor for your topic.

Alternately, you can use additional keywords to reduce irrelevant results.

ERIC does have a Publication Type limit for Tests/Questionnaires , but it significantly narrows your search results. That may make it difficult to find test name options that you could try in another database, even if they don't show up in ERIC.

Searching By Title

As mentioned in the Searching By Topic box above, limiting to a specific field isn't your best option here, so try putting the name of your instrument (if you know it exactly) in quotation marks. You can use the acronym instead, if you know it.

Searching For Evaluations

Follow the instructions for either Searching By Topic or Searching By Name , depending on what you're trying to do. In the final box, put this string of words: "Test Reviews" OR "Test Reliability" OR "Test Validity" OR "Construct Validity" OR "Content Validity" and use the drop-down menu next to the box to select SU Descriptors . This tells ERIC to search the descriptor field for terms relating to evaluation of tests.

If you're searching by topic, this will give you considerably more results than a more specific search. As an alternative, if you want only test reviews, just use "Test Reviews" instead, still using the drop-down to choose SU Descriptors .

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• Next: Health & Psychosocial Instruments >>
• Last Updated: Sep 13, 2023 11:06 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.umassd.edu/instruments

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Measurement Instruments for Research, Education, and Clinical Practice

• Measurement Instrument Review Databases

MEDLINE / PubMed

Nursing reference center, eric (education resources information center), psycinfo via ovid.

• Instrument Collections on the Web
• Books Describing/Containing Instruments
• Using, Adapting, and Translating Instruments

Currently, there is no way to focus your Ovid MEDLINE/PubMed search to retrieve only those papers that include the actual measurement instrument.* However, below are some ways to find papers that  might  have instruments. 

OvidMEDLINE  and  PubMed  have several useful  MeSH terms  for finding measurement instruments, such as:

• MeSH: Surveys and Questionnaires
• MeSH: Health Surveys
• MeSH: Psychological Tests
• MeSH: Personality Tests
• MeSH: Health Care Surveys

If you know the name of the specific instrument, try searching for the instrument name in quotes, e.g.,  "Beck Depression Inventory" , and combine with one or more of the MeSH terms above.

Example Below:  "Beck Depression Inventory" AND "Psychological Tests"[Mesh]

• "Beck Depression Inventory" AND "Psychological Tests"[Mesh]

Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed also have several useful  MeSH terms  for finding  reviews  of measurement instruments, such as:

• MeSH: Validation Study [Publication Type]
• MeSH: Reproducibility of Results
• MeSH: Sensitivity and Specificity
• MeSH: Validation Studies as Topic

To find a measurement instrument for a particular topic/variable, try searching by keyword, e.g.,  quality of life , or MeSH term, if available, e.g.,  "Quality of Life"[Mesh] , and combine with one or more of the MeSH terms above.

Example Below:  "Quality of Life"[Mesh] AND "Surveys and Questionnaires"[Mesh]

• "Quality of Life"[Mesh] AND "Surveys and Questionnaires"[Mesh]

To find reviews of a particular instrument, try combining the instrument name (in quotes) with one or more of the above MeSH headings:

Example: “Beck Depression Inventory” AND “Sensitivity and Specificity”[Mesh]

• “Beck Depression Inventory” AND “Sensitivity and Specificity”[Mesh]

*To see if an article has the actual measurement instrument included, try searching the full text of the article for the name of the instrument. If the instrument is provided, it will most likely be found in the Appendix or other supplementary material.

How to find a tool by name or on a specific topic in  CINAHL:

Enter the tool name, for example,  NIH Stroke Scale,   or your topic, for example,  stroke , in the search box. When looking for a tool by name, make sure to enter all possible ways of naming it, for example, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, NIH Stroke Scale, NIHSS.

On the second search line, type in Research Instrument , and select Publication Type (PT) field  from the dropdown list to the right of the search.

The same result can be achieved if you have already done your topic search, by:

Selecting Edit from your search results

Scrolling down to Publication Type in the pop-up form and selecting  Research Instruments

Searching in Nursing Reference Center Plus:

To find a specific tool by name or by topic: Type in the tool name or your search term in the Search box (for example, stroke  or NIH Stroke Scale)  and click Search .

Once the results appear, select Research Instruments from Material Types in the column to the left of the search results.

To find articles discussing the use of research instruments:

Click on Advanced Search .

Type in your topic in the Search box, e.g. stroke .

Before clicking on Search, scroll down to Publication Type and select both  Questionnaire/Scale  and Research Instrument .

Now press Search  in the bottom-right corner.

You can also use a keyword search to find articles discussing the use of research instruments: 

In the Search box type in your topic of interest followed by this string: (scale* OR score* OR tool* OR model* OR measure* OR instrument* OR checklist* OR survey* OR questionnaire* OR interview*). Combine with AND .

For example, stroke AND (scale* OR score* OR tool* OR model* OR measure* OR instrument* OR checklist* OR survey* OR questionnaire* OR interview*)

ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)  provides articles describing measures used in education, and in some cases, the actual measure. 

• Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) This link opens in a new window
• Enter your keyword(s) in the first search box, e.g., medical education , and leave the pull-down menu to the right   as is .   A specific test name can be substituted for keywords in the first search box.

In the next search box typ e, (test* or measure* or questionnaire* or scale* or survey* or assessment*) and appended , and select Abstract (AB field) from the pull-down menu to the right.  

Execute the search by clicking the Search button.

In  PsycINFO,  use the  Tests and Measures  field to find measures used in a study. 

Test names appear in both the Abstract field and the Tests & Measures field (these fields are checkboxes below the search bar labelled limits ). If the full instrument or items from the instrument are included in the full-text of the article, the test name is marked "Appended" in the Tests & Measures field. "Appended" typically means one of three things: that the full instrument is included as an appendix to the article, that items from the instrument are reproduced in a figure or table, or that items from the test are described in the methods section.

Here are two approaches:

PsycINFO opens in Advanced Search mode. Do your search as usual, e.g., cultural humility maps to the subject heading cultural sensitivity (among others). Select Cultural Sensitivity  and the text word  cultural humility at the bottom of the term list and combine them with OR .  These results are part 1 of your search.

On the Search results screen, or the Basic or the Advanced Search screen you can then check the box for Tests & Measures  and run the search.  This means that all of the articles on cultural humility reference a standard measure. This measure may or may not be specific to cultural humility. 

Adding the word appended to the search will include results in which the test or measure is included in the article. Change your search to a multi-field search by selecting the Multi-Field Search link (to the upper right of the search box).Type appended in the second search box.  Leave the drop-down menu on the right on All Fields . Run the search and the combine with the previous results. 

Another approach is to look for measures with certain words in their names or titles. 

Change your search to a multi-field search by selecting the Multi-Field Search link (to the upper right of the search box).

Enter a word from the name of the measure, or keyword/concept, e.g., culture or cultural

Select Tests & Measures from the drop-down menu on the right.

Select AND in the drop-down menu on the left.

Adding the word appended to the search will include results in which the test or measure is included in the article. Type appended in the second search box.  Leave the drop-down menu on the right on All Fields .

You now have a second set of articles that includes test and measures that have the word cultural.

You will also see the search option "Test DOI" - this is the Digital Object Identified deposited by APA to link to test overview records in  PsycTESTS.

• << Previous: Measurement Instrument Review Databases
• Next: Instrument Collections on the Web >>
• Last Updated: Jan 25, 2024 2:45 PM
• URL: https://libguides.ohsu.edu/measurementinstruments

38+ SAMPLE Research Checklist in PDF | MS Word

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1. define the topic, 2. list down your sources, 3. synthesize your research, 4. add boxes, share this post on your network, file formats, word templates, google docs templates, excel templates, powerpoint templates, google sheets templates, google slides templates, pdf templates, publisher templates, psd templates, indesign templates, illustrator templates, pages templates, keynote templates, numbers templates, outlook templates, you may also like these articles, 3+ sample vendor audit checklist in pdf.

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A checklist is a form that is used for quickly and easily recording data or identifying actions or requirements. It is usually easy to extract data in a useful manner from a checklist. It is particularly effective at registering the occurrence of incidents, events, tasks, or problems.

When gathering data for pattern detection.

When converting raw data into more useful information.

For data collection on the frequency of an event, problem, defect, or other similar measure.

1. AGREE ON WHAT EVENTS will be recorded. To eliminate doubt, the events must be clearly defined. Any events that are not easily captured or categorized could benefit from the inclusion of an "other" category.

2. DETERMINE THE TIME PERIOD and intervals for data collection.

3. DESIGN A FORM with clearly labeled categories and sufficient room for data entry. Make sure the form is easy to read and use.

4. PERFORM DATA COLLECTION during the agreed period. Before collecting data, ensure that all the individuals that are collecting data share a common understanding of the task being measured to allow for consistent data capture.

5. After data collection is finished, ANALYZE THE MATERIAL. Make note of events that occurred frequently.

Allows you to determine the specific frequency of certain events or tasks.

Collected data can be displayed in many familiar formats, such as a bar chart.

Easy to use, simple to create.

Checklist forms are usually specific to a particular situation.

Andersen B. Tools for collecting data about the performance shortcoming. In: O'Mara P, editor. Business process improvement toolkit. 2nd ed. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press; 2007. p. 107-22.

Bauer J, Duffy G, Westcott R. Improvement tools. The quality improvement handbook. 2nd ed. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press; 2006. p. 109-48.

American Society for Quality. Data collection and analysis tools: check sheet. 2009 [cited 2009 July 23]; Available from: http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/data-collection-analysis-tools/overview/check-sheet.html

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