2. Email database makes reminders convenient.
3. Enthusiastic target demographics nullifies need of incentives.
4. Supports a larger sample size.
5. Non-respondents and respondents must be matched.
Approval from the Institutional Review Board should be taken as per requirement according to the CHERRIES checklist. However, rules for approval are different as per the country or nation and therefore, local rules must be checked and followed. For instance, in India, the Indian Council of Medical Research released an article in 2017, stating that the concept of broad consent has been updated which is defined “consent for an unspecified range of future research subject to a few contents and/or process restrictions.” It talks about “the flexibility of Indian ethics committees to review a multicentric study proposal for research involving low or minimal risk, survey or studies using anonymized samples or data or low or minimal risk public health research.” The reporting of approvals received and applied for and the procedure of written, informed consent followed must be clear and transparent. 10 , 19
The use of incentives in surveys is also an ethical concern. 20 The different of incentives that can be used are monetary or non-monetary. Monetary incentives are usually discouraged as these may attract the wrong population due to the temptation of the monetary benefit. However, monetary incentives have been seen to make survey receive greater traction even though this is yet to proven. Monetary incentives are not only provided in terms of cash or cheque but also in the form of free articles, discount coupons, phone cards, e-money or cashback value. 21 These methods though tempting must be seldom used. If used, their use must be disclosed and justified in the report. The use of non-monetary incentives like a meeting with a famous personality or access to restricted and authorized areas. These can also help pique the interest of the respondents.
As mentioned earlier, the design of a survey is reflective of the skill of the investigator curating it. 22 Survey builders can be used to design an efficient survey. These offer majority of the basic features needed to construct a survey, free of charge. Therefore, surveys can be designed from scratch, using pre-designed templates or by using previous survey designs as inspiration. Taking surveys could be made convenient by using the various aids available ( Table 1 ). Moreover, even the investigator should be mindful of the unintended response effects of ordering and context of survey questions. 23
Surveys using clear, unambiguous, simple and well-articulated language record precise answers. 24 A well-designed survey accounts for the culture, language and convenience of the target demographic. The age, region, country and occupation of the target population is also considered before constructing a survey. Consistency is maintained in the terms used in the survey and abbreviations are avoided to allow the respondents to have a clear understanding of the question being answered. Universal abbreviations or previously indexed abbreviations maintain the unambiguity of the survey.
Surveys beginning with broad, easy and non-specific questions as compared to sensitive, tedious and non-specific ones receive more accurate and complete answers. 25 Questionnaires designed such that the relatively tedious and long questions requiring the respondent to do some nit-picking are placed at the end improves the response rate of the survey. This prevents the respondent to be discouraged to answer the survey at the beginning itself and motivates the respondent to finish the survey at the end. All questions must provide a non-response option and all questions should be made mandatory to increase completeness of the survey. Questions can be framed in close-ended or open-ended fashion. However, close-ended questions are easier to analyze and are less tedious to answer by the respondent and therefore must be the main component in a survey. Open-ended questions have minimal use as they are tedious, take time to answer and require fine articulation of one's thoughts. Also, their minimal use is advocated because the interpretation of such answers requires dedication in terms of time and energy due to the diverse nature of the responses which is difficult to promise owing to the large sample sizes. 26 However, whenever the closed choices do not cover all probabilities, an open answer choice must be added. 27 , 28
Screening questions to meet certain criteria to gain access to the survey in cases where inclusion criteria need to be established to maintain authenticity of target demographic. Similarly, logic function can be used to apply an exclusion. This allows clean and clear record of responses and makes the job of an investigator easier. The respondents can or cannot have the option to return to the previous page or question to alter their answer as per the investigator's preference.
The range of responses received can be reduced in case of questions directed towards the feelings or opinions of people by using slider scales, or a Likert scale. 29 , 30 In questions having multiple answers, check boxes are efficient. When a large number of answers are possible, dropdown menus reduce the arduousness. 31 Matrix scales can be used to answer questions requiring grading or having a similar range of answers for multiple conditions. Maximum respondent participation and complete survey responses can be ensured by reducing the survey time. Quiz mode or weighted modes allow the respondent to shuffle between questions and allows scoring of quizzes and can be used to complement other weighted scoring systems. 32 A flowchart depicting a survey construct is presented as Fig. 1 .
Validation testing though tedious and meticulous, is worthy effort as the accuracy of a survey is determined by its validity. It is indicative of the of the sample of the survey and the specificity of the questions such that the data acquired is streamlined to answer the questions being posed or to determine a hypothesis. 33 , 34 Face validation determines the mannerism of construction of questions such that necessary data is collected. Content validation determines the relation of the topic being addressed and its related areas with the questions being asked. Internal validation makes sure that the questions being posed are directed towards the outcome of the survey. Finally, Test – retest validation determines the stability of questions over a period of time by testing the questionnaire twice and maintaining a time interval between the two tests. For surveys determining knowledge of respondents pertaining to a certain subject, it is advised to have a panel of experts for undertaking the validation process. 2 , 35
If the questions in the survey are posed in a manner so as to elicit the same or similar response from the respondents irrespective of the language or construction of the question, the survey is said to be reliable. It is thereby, a marker of the consistency of the survey. This stands to be of considerable importance in knowledge-based researches where recall ability is tested by making the survey available for answering by the same participants at regular intervals. It can also be used to maintain authenticity of the survey, by varying the construction of the questions.
A cover letter is the primary means of communication with the respondent, with the intent to introduce the respondent to the survey. A cover letter should include the purpose of the survey, details of those who are conducting it, including contact details in case clarifications are desired. It should also clearly depict the action required by the respondent. Data anonymization may be crucial to many respondents and is their right. This should be respected in a clear description of the data handling process while disseminating the survey. A good cover letter is the key to building trust with the respondent population and can be the forerunner to better response rates. Imparting a sense of purpose is vital to ideationally incentivize the respondent population. 36 , 37 Adding the credentials of the team conducting the survey may further aid the process. It is seen that an advance intimation of the survey prepares the respondents while improving their compliance.
The design of a cover letter needs much attention. It should be captivating, clear, precise and use a vocabulary and language specific to the target population for the survey. Active voice should be used to make a greater impact. Crowding of the details must be avoided. Using italics, bold fonts or underlining may be used to highlight critical information. the tone ought to be polite, respectful, and grateful in advance. The use of capital letters is at best avoided, as it is surrogate for shouting in verbal speech and may impart a bad taste.
The dates of the survey may be intimated, so the respondents may prepare themselves for taking it at a time conducive to them. While, emailing a closed group in a convenience sampled survey, using the name of the addressee may impart a customized experience and enhance trust building and possibly compliance. Appropriate use of salutations like Mr./Ms./Mrs. may be considered. Various portals such as SurveyMonkey allow the researchers to save an address list on the website. These may then be reached out using an embedded survey link from a verified email address to minimize bouncing back of emails.
The body of the cover letter must be short, crisp and not exceed 2–3 paragraphs under idea circumstances. Ernest efforts to protect confidentiality may go a long way in enhancing response rates. 38 While it is enticing to provide incentives to enhance response, these are best avoided. 38 , 39 In cases when indirect incentives are offered, such as provision of results of the survey, these may be clearly stated in the cover letter. Lastly, a formal closing note with the signatures of the lead investigator are welcome. 38 , 40
Well-constructed questionnaires are essentially the backbone of successful survey-based studies. With this type of research, the primary concern is the adequate promotion and dissemination of the questionnaire to the target population. The careful of selection of sample population, therefore, needs to be with minimal flaws. The method of conducting survey is an essential determinant of the response rate observed. 41 Broadly, surveys are of two types: closed and open. Depending on the sample population the method of conducting the survey must be determined.
Various doctors use their own patients as the target demographic, as it improves compliance. However, this is effective in surveys aiming towards a geographically specific, fairly common disease as the sample size needs to be adequate. Response bias can be identified by the data collected from respondent and non-respondent groups. 42 , 43 Therefore, to choose a target population whose database of baseline characteristics is already known is more efficacious. In cases of surveys focused on patients having a rare group of diseases, online surveys or e-surveys can be conducted. Data can also be gathered from the multiple national organizations and societies all over the world. 44 , 45 Computer generated random selection can be done from this data to choose participants and they can be reached out to using emails or social media platforms like WhatsApp and LinkedIn. In both these scenarios, closed questionnaires can be conducted. These have restricted access either through a URL link or through e-mail.
In surveys targeting an issue faced by a larger demographic (e.g. pandemics like the COVID-19, flu vaccines and socio-political scenarios), open surveys seem like the more viable option as they can be easily accessed by majority of the public and ensures large number of responses, thereby increasing the accuracy of the study. Survey length should be optimal to avoid poor response rates. 25 , 46
Uniform distribution of the survey ensures equitable opportunity to the entire target population to access the questionnaire and participate in it. While deciding the target demographic communities should be studied and the process of “lurking” is sometimes practiced. Multiple sampling methods are available ( Fig. 1 ). 47
Distribution of survey to the target demographic could be done using emails. Even though e-mails reach a large proportion of the target population, an unknown sender could be blocked, making the use of personal or a previously used email preferable for correspondence. Adding a cover letter along with the invite adds a personal touch and is hence, advisable. Some platforms allow the sender to link the survey portal with the sender's email after verifying it. Noteworthily, despite repeated email reminders, personal communication over the phone or instant messaging improved responses in the authors' experience. 48 , 49
Distribution of the survey over other social media platforms (SMPs, namely WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.) is also practiced. 50 , 51 , 52 Surveys distributed on every available platform ensures maximal outreach. 53 Other smartphone apps can also be used for wider survey dissemination. 50 , 54 It is important to be mindful of the target population while choosing the platform for dissemination of the survey as some SMPs such as WhatsApp are more popular in India, while others like WeChat are used more widely in China, and similarly Facebook among the European population. Professional accounts or popular social accounts can be used to promote and increase the outreach for a survey. 55 Incentives such as internet giveaways or meet and greets with their favorite social media influencer have been used to motivate people to participate.
However, social-media platforms do not allow calculation of the denominator of the target population, resulting in inability to gather the accurate response rate. Moreover, this method of collecting data may result in a respondent bias inherent to a community that has a greater online presence. 43 The inability to gather the demographics of the non-respondents (in a bid to identify and prove that they were no different from respondents) can be another challenge in convenience sampling, unlike in cohort-based studies.
Lastly, manually filling of surveys, over the telephone, by narrating the questions and answer choices to the respondents is used as the last-ditch resort to achieve a high desired response rate. 56 Studies reveal that surveys released on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays receive more traction. Also, reminders set at regular intervals of time help receive more responses. Data collection can be improved in collaborative research by syncing surveys to fill out electronic case record forms. 57 , 58 , 59
Data anonymity refers to the protection of data received as a part of the survey. This data must be stored and handled in accordance with the patient privacy rights/privacy protection laws in reference to surveys. Ethically, the data must be received on a single source file handled by one individual. Sharing or publishing this data on any public platform is considered a breach of the patient's privacy. 11 In convenience sampled surveys conducted by e-mailing a predesignated group, the emails shall remain confidential, as inadvertent sharing of these as supplementary data in the manuscript may amount to a violation of the ethical standards. 60 A completely anonymized e-survey discourages collection of Internet protocol addresses in addition to other patient details such as names and emails.
Data anonymity gives the respondent the confidence to be candid and answer the survey without inhibitions. This is especially apparent in minority groups or communities facing societal bias (sex workers, transgenders, lower caste communities, women). Data anonymity aids in giving the respondents/participants respite regarding their privacy. As the respondents play a primary role in data collection, data anonymity plays a vital role in survey-based research.
The data collected from the survey responses are compiled in a .xls, .csv or .xlxs format by the survey tool itself. The data can be viewed during the survey duration or after its completion. To ensure data anonymity, minimal number of people should have access to these results. The data should then be sifted through to invalidate false, incorrect or incomplete data. The relevant and complete data should then be analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, as per the aim of the study. Statistical aids like pie charts, graphs and data tables can be used to report relative data.
Analysis of the responses recorded is done after the time made available to answer the survey is complete. This ensures that statistical and hypothetical conclusions are established after careful study of the entire database. Incomplete and complete answers can be used to make analysis conditional on the study. Survey-based studies require careful consideration of various aspects of the survey such as the time required to complete the survey. 61 Cut-off points in the time frame allow authentic answers to be recorded and analyzed as compared to disingenuous completed questionnaires. Methods of handling incomplete questionnaires and atypical timestamps must be pre-decided to maintain consistency. Since, surveys are the only way to reach people especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, disingenuous survey practices must not be followed as these will later be used to form a preliminary hypothesis.
Reporting the survey-based research is by far the most challenging part of this method. A well-reported survey-based study is a comprehensive report covering all the aspects of conducting a survey-based research.
The design of the survey mentioning the target demographic, sample size, language, type, methodology of the survey and the inclusion-exclusion criteria followed comprises a descriptive report of a survey-based study. Details regarding the conduction of pilot-testing, validation testing, reliability testing and user-interface testing add value to the report and supports the data and analysis. Measures taken to prevent bias and ensure consistency and precision are key inclusions in a report. The report usually mentions approvals received, if any, along with the written, informed, consent taken from the participants to use the data received for research purposes. It also gives detailed accounts of the different distribution and promotional methods followed.
A detailed account of the data input and collection methods along with tools used to maintain the anonymity of the participants and the steps taken to ensure singular participation from individual respondents indicate a well-structured report. Descriptive information of the website used, visitors received and the externally influencing factors of the survey is included. Detailed reporting of the post-survey analysis including the number of analysts involved, data cleaning required, if any, statistical analysis done and the probable hypothesis concluded is a key feature of a well-reported survey-based research. Methods used to do statistical corrections, if used, should be included in the report. The EQUATOR network has two checklists, “The Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys” (CHERRIES) statement and “ The Journal of Medical Internet Research ” (JMIR) checklist, that can be utilized to construct a well-framed report. 62 , 63 Importantly, self-reporting of biases and errors avoids the carrying forward of false hypothesis as a basis of more advanced research. References should be cited using standard recommendations, and guided by the journal specifications. 64
Surveys can be published as original articles, brief reports or as a letter to the editor. Interestingly, most modern journals do not actively make mention of surveys in the instructions to the author. Thus, depending on the study design, the authors may choose the article category, cohort or case-control interview or survey-based study. It is prudent to mention the type of study in the title. Titles albeit not too long, should not exceed 10–12 words, and may feature the type of study design for clarity after a semicolon for greater citation potential.
While the choice of journal is largely based on the study subject and left to the authors discretion, it may be worthwhile exploring trends in a journal archive before proceeding with submission. 65 Although the article format is similar across most journals, specific rules relevant to the target journal may be followed for drafting the article structure before submission.
Articles that are removed from the publication after being released are retracted articles. These are usually retracted when new discrepancies come to light regarding, the methodology followed, plagiarism, incorrect statistical analysis, inappropriate authorship, fake peer review, fake reporting and such. 66 A sufficient increase in such papers has been noticed. 67
We carried out a search of “surveys” on Retraction Watch on 31st August 2020 and received 81 search results published between November 2006 to June 2020, out of which 3 were repeated. Out of the 78 results, 37 (47.4%) articles were surveys, 23 (29.4%) showed as unknown types and 18 (23.2%) reported other types of research. ( Supplementary Table 1 ). Fig. 2 gives a detailed description of the causes of retraction of the surveys we found and its geographic distribution.
A good survey ought to be designed with a clear objective, the design being precise and focused with close-ended questions and all probabilities included. Use of rating scales, multiple choice questions and checkboxes and maintaining a logical question sequence engages the respondent while simplifying data entry and analysis for the investigator. Conducting pilot-testing is vital to identify and rectify deficiencies in the survey design and answer choices. The target demographic should be defined well, and invitations sent accordingly, with periodic reminders as appropriate. While reporting the survey, maintaining transparency in the methods employed and clearly stating the shortcomings and biases to prevent advocating an invalid hypothesis.
Disclosure: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
Author Contributions:
Reporting survey based research
The accuracy and relevance of the data you collect depend largely on the quality of your survey questions . In other words, good questions make for good research outcomes. It makes sense then, that you should put considerable thought and planning into writing your survey or questionnaire.
In this article, we’ll go through what a good survey question looks like, talk about the different kinds of survey questions that exist, give you some tips for writing a good survey question, and finally, we’ll take a look at some examples.
A good survey question should contain simple and clear language. It should elicit responses that are accurate and that help you learn more about your target audience and their experiences. It should also fit in with the overall design of your survey project and connect with your research objective. There are many different types of survey questions. Let’s take a look at some of them now.
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Different types of questions are used for different purposes. Often questionnaires or surveys will combine several types of questions. The types you choose will depend on the overall design of your survey and your aims. Here is a list of the most popular kinds of survey questions:
These questions can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. They require the respondent to use more descriptive language to share their thoughts and answer the question. These types of questions result in qualitative data.
A closed-ended question is the opposite of an open-ended question. Here the respondent’s answers are normally restricted to a yes or no, true or false, or multiple-choice answer. This results in quantitative data.
This is a type of closed-ended question. The defining characteristic of these questions is that they have two opposing fields. For example, a question that can only be answered with a yes/no answer is a dichotomous question.
These are another type of closed-ended question. Here you give the respondent several possible ways, or options, in which they can respond. It’s also common to have an “other” section with a text box where the respondent can provide an unlisted answer.
This is again another type of close-ended question. Here you would normally present two extremes and the respondent has to choose between these extremes or an option placed along the scale.
A Likert scale is a form of a rating scale. These are generally used to measure attitudes towards something by asking the respondent to agree or disagree with a statement. They are commonly used to measure satisfaction.
Here the respondents are given a few options and they need to order these different options in terms of importance, relevance, or according to the instructions.
These are often personal questions that allow you to better understand your respondents and their backgrounds. They normally cover questions related to age, race, marital status, education level, etc.
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The following 7 tips will help you to write a good survey question:
Your survey questions must be easy to understand. When they’re straight to the point, it’s more likely that your respondent will understand what you are asking of them and be able to respond accurately, giving you the data you need.
When sentences or questions are convoluted or confusing, respondents might misunderstand the question. If your questions are too long, they may also get bored by the questions. And in your lists of answers for multiple choice questions, make sure your choice lists are concise as well. If your questions are too long, or if you’ve provided too many options, you may receive responses that are inaccurate or that are not a true representation of how the respondent feels. To limit the number of options a respondent sees, you can use a survey platform like SurveyCTO to filter choice lists and make it easy for respondents to answer quickly. If you have an exceptionally long list of possible responses, like countries, implement search functionality in your list of choices so your respondents can quickly search for their selection.
You should avoid leading your respondent in any particular direction with your questions, you want their response to be 100% their thoughts without being unduly influenced. An example of a question that could lead the respondent in a particular direction would be: How happy are you to live in this amazing area? By adding the adjective amazing before area, you are putting the idea in the respondent’s head that the area is amazing. This could cloud their judgment and influence the way they answer the question. The word happy together with amazing may also be problematic. A better, less loaded way to ask this question might be something like this: How satisfied are you living in this area?
Asking multiple things in one question is confusing and will lead to inaccuracies in the answer. When you write your question you should know exactly what you want to achieve. This will help you to avoid combining two questions in one. Here is an example of a double-barrelled question that would be difficult for a respondent to answer: Please answer yes or no to the following question: Do you drive to work and do you carry any passengers? In this question, the respondent is being asked two things, yet they only have the opportunity to respond to one. Even then, they don’t know which one they should respond to. Avoid this kind of questioning to get clearer, more accurate data.
You should give your respondent the ability to answer a question accurately. For instance, if you are asking a demographic question you’ll need to provide options that accurately reflect their experience. Below, you can see there is an “other” option with space where the respondent can answer how they see fit, in the case that they don’t fit into any of the other options. Which gender do you most identify with:
Question writing goes hand-in-hand with questionnaire design. So, when writing survey questions, you should consider the survey as a whole. For example, if you write a close-ended question like: Were you satisfied with the customer service you received when you bought x product? You might want to follow it up with an open-ended question such as: Please explain the reason for your answer: This will help you draw out more information from your respondent that can help you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your customer service team. Making sure your questions flow in a logical order is also important.
For instance, if you ask a question regarding the total cost of a person’s childcare arrangements, but you’re unaware if they have children, you should first ask if they have children and how many. It’s also a good idea to start your survey with short, easy-to-answer, non-sensitive questions before moving on to something more complex. This way there is more chance you’ll engage your audience early on and make it more likely that they’ll continue with the survey. You should also consider whether you need qualitative or quantitative data for your research outcomes or a mix of the two. This will help you decide the balance of closed-ended and open-ended questions you use. With close-ended questions, you get quantitative data. This data will be fairly conclusive and simple to analyze. It can be useful when you need to measure specific variables or metrics like population sizes, education levels, literacy levels, etc.
On the other hand, qualitative data gained by open-ended questions can be full of insights. However, these questions can be more laborious for the respondent to complete making it more likely for them to skip through or give a token answer. They’re also more complex to analyze.
Before a questionnaire goes anywhere near a respondent, it needs to be checked over. Mistakes in your survey questions can give inaccurate results. They can also waste time and resources. Having an impartial person check your questions can also help prevent bias. So, not only should you check your work, but you should also share it with colleagues for them to check. After checking your survey questions, make sure to check the functionality and flow of your survey. If you’re building your form in SurveyCTO, you can use our form testing interface to catch errors, make quick fixes, and test your workflows with real data.
Now that we’ve gone through some dos and don’ts for writing survey questions, we can move on to more practical examples of how a good survey question should look. To keep these specific to the research world we’ll look at three categories of questions.
2. monitoring and evaluation survey questions , 3. impact evaluation questions .
Writing good survey questions is essential if you want to achieve your research aims. A good survey question should be clear, concise, and contain simple language. They should be free of bias and not lead the respondent in any direction. Your survey questions need to complement each other, engage your audience and connect back to the overall objectives of your research. Creating survey questions and survey designs is a large part of your research, however, is just a part of the puzzle. When your questions are ready, you’ll need to conduct your survey and then find a way to manage your data and workflow. Take a look at this post to see more ways SurveyCTO can help you beyond writing your research survey questions.
To keep reading about how SurveyCTO can help you design better surveys, take a look at these resources:
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Senior Product Specialist
Marta is a member of the Customer Success team for Dobility. She helps users working at NGOs, nonprofits, survey firms, universities and research institutes achieve their objectives using SurveyCTO, and works on new ways to help users get the most out of the platform.
Marta has worked in international development consultancy and research, supporting and coordinating impact evaluations, monitoring and evaluation projects, and data collection processes at the national level in areas such as education, energy access, and financial inclusion.
Training videos | Faqs
In this blog, we will explain how to write a research paper that employs a survey questionnaire. We will discuss all the important points to consider while writing the research paper. The title of our research paper is ‘ Understanding online shopping behaviors of older population – A questionnaire study .’ Please note that this is not a real paper. It is an example paper we put together for the purpose of teaching.
Understanding Online Shopping Behaviors of Older Population – A Questionnaire Study Research Paper Title
Let’s start with the introduction paragraph. This is where you provide a general overview of the topic. Let’s begin with a strong opening statement. This is normally called a hook since you are trying to hook your readers to your paper. Here we are providing some interesting numbers about the elderly population. We are saying that by the year 2050, more than 30% of the world’s population will be over 60.
Then we follow it up with a future prediction. We are saying that the spending power of the elderly population will increase significantly in the next few years. This is a fantastic way to emphasize the importance of the topic. Now with the next statement, we are highlighting the topic’s timeliness. We are saying that this is a hot topic that has not yet been fully explored.
In comparison to today, the UN predicts that by 2050, more than 31% of world’s population will be 60 or older [1]. It is expected that senior citizen’s purchasing power will reach £50 trillion by 2030. Researchers should therefore be interested in this growing and relatively unexplored segment of the online market. Introduction paragraph
Now let’s move on to the literature review. A literature review is an overview of previously published works related to your topic. Let’s start with a broad summary of the previous research activity in this field. We are saying that the topic of consumer behavior is well-studied. Then, we are grouping prior research into three main categories. This statement is a very good example of how to condense and summarize the findings of multiple research papers in one sentence.
There exists a vast amount of literature on the topic of consumer behavior in marketing [1-3]. Existing literature generally explores: personal factors [4-6], psychological factors [7-10], and situational factors [11-13]. There are very limited previous research findings related to the shopping behaviors of the older population. This study, to the best of our knowledge, represents the first attempt to fill the void in the literature. Literature review & Research gap
Now it’s time to establish the research gap. A research gap is an unexplored or understudied area in the literature that you have identified. We are saying that there are very limited studies focusing on the consumer behaviors of the elderly population. And we are trying to address this particular gap in our work. Then we talk about the novelty component of our work. We are saying that, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate this particular issue.
Let’s talk about the research questions. You have to describe what you intend to accomplish in your research. The aim of the study is to better understand the consumer attitudes and behavior of the older population. We will find this out by using a questionnaire survey.
The aim of the current study was to better understand various factors that influence the attitudes and behaviours of older customers. We employed a survey questionnaire for addressing the research questions at hand. Research aims & method summary
This concludes the introduction section of the research paper and lets us move on to materials and methods.
Materials and methods section should be written very clearly with a detailed account of the procedure that was followed in the experiment. The information in this section should be adequate for anyone desiring to replicate the study in the future.
First, you have to explain how the participants were recruited for the study and clearly define your target population. In our case, we have decided to use customers over the age of 60 from an online shopping website. Then we have to explain how we selected the participants for the study.
There are many different types of sampling methods. For example, we have Random sampling, Systematic sampling, Convenience sampling, Cluster sampling, and Stratified sampling. You would have noticed people stopping you in shopping malls for a short survey. This is called convenience sampling. In systematic sampling, you pick every 5th or 10th customer from the database. In our case, we used a random sampling method, which means we randomly picked participants from the database.
The database of customers over the age of 60 who agreed to participate in the survey was collected from the Amazon e-retailer webiste. The respondents were selected by using simple random sampling method from the retailer’s database. A link to the survey was emailed to customers of the e-retailer who agreed to participate in the survey in exchange for a discount coupon. Population, sampling and questionnaire adminstration
Now, you have to explain how the questionnaire will be administered. There are so many different ways in which we can do it. We can do this via phone interview, personal interview, written questionnaire, or online questionnaire. All the methods have both advantages and disadvantages. In our case, we used an online questionnaire that was emailed to the customers who agreed to participate in the study.
Let’s explain the number of questions the survey contains. In our case, we had 24 questions covering various topics. Let’s talk about different types of questions. There are different types of questions. For example, we have open-ended questions, close-ended questions, Likert scale questions, rating scale questions, yes/no questions, and text questions.
The questionnaire consisted of 24 questions that covered key issues around shopping behaviour and reasons for shopping. The frequency of shopping was reported as one of three categories: once a week, once a fortnight, and once a month. The confidence in shopping was determined by asking respondents to rate on a five-point Likert scale. The participants were asked to describe the type of things they shop in a free text box. Questionnaire design
Here we are reporting the frequency of shopping in three categories, once a week, once a fortnight, and once a month. This is a close-ended question since the answers are limited to a fixed set of responses. When designing a close-ended question, it is a good idea to provide an extra option to capture the answers that are not available in the choices. Then, we are using the Likert scale to understand how confident the participants felt while shopping online. The Likert scale is a very popular scale used to ask the participants how much they agree or disagree with a particular statement.
We ask respondents to indicate what sort of stuff they typically purchase online. This is an open-ended question, and we use a free text box to capture the answers. The respondents are free to say what they like. This is particularly useful when you don’t know how people are likely to respond to a question. This is also a good option when you don’t want to influence the participants’ responses. The only problem you should bear in mind is that there are so many different ways the open-ended questions could be answered. This makes the analysis process a bit difficult. So, if you decide to use open-ended questions in your survey, make sure you talk to a statistician first.
Typically, an online questionnaire starts with a short description of the study followed by the survey questions. In the end, you will ask the participants for demographic information such as age and gender. It is also a good idea to provide a free text box so the participants can provide feedback or raise concerns about your study. Finally, thank your participants after completing the questionnaire.
Normally when you are administering a questionnaire in multiple languages, the questionnaire is first produced in the main language and then translated into multiple languages. In our case, the questionnaire was first produced in English and then translated into Welsh and Irish. Finally, the translated versions are back-translated into English and checked to make sure there are no discrepancies. Make sure you do a pilot survey. This will help you identify any potential problems in your questions and allow you to fix them before it is too late. Keep repeating the pilot study until you are happy with the questionnaire.
The questionnaire was developed in English and was then translated into Welsh and Irish. The questionnaire survey was pretested among a group of experts to confirm the survey design and text wording. Questionnaire translation & pilot study
Let’s start with the survey response numbers. In our case, the survey response rate was 31.6%. The response rate can be calculated by dividing the number of completed survey responses by the number of people who viewed or started the survey. Then, follow it up with demographic information of the respondents who participated in the study. In our case, we are presenting the demographic data in a table.
Now let’s look at different ways to report survey data. One simple way of reporting is to provide the percentage of participants who chose a certain response for a question. In our case, 80% of respondents said they shop at least once a week.
The survey was administered online to 3,000 customers. 950 completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 31.6%. The details of basic demographic data are provided in Table 1. When asked how frequently they shop online, 80% of respondents replied at least once a week. The average response was “4: Fairly confident” for the overall rating of the confidence of shopping online. Overall, the majority of the participants stated that they shop for everyday items online, and only a small proportion indicated seasonal products. In conclusion, this research significantly improved our current understanding of shopping behaviors of older population. Results
The question about the confidence of shopping was on the Likert scale. Here, we are saying that the participants’ average response was “Fairly confident.” I must mention that there are so many other ways you can present Likert scale data. For example, you can visualize the entire distribution and present it as a figure in your paper.
Another way of reporting data is by using broad generic terms such as majority, minority, a large proportion, small proportion, etc. You can do this, but be careful because different readers might interpret these terms differently. Let’s finish up the paper with a conclusion statement that nicely summarizes our work and key contributions.
In this blog, we will go through many literature review examples and understand different ways to present past literature in your paper.
In this blog, we will look at how to use constructive language when critiquing other’s work in your research paper.
In this blog, we explain various sections of a research paper and give you an overview of what these sections should contain.
In this blog, we will go through many results section examples and understand how to write a great results section for your paper.
In this blog, we will look at five common mistakes to avoid while writing the methodology section of your research paper.
In this blog, we will look at best practices for presenting tables and figures in your research paper.
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The research process, explore more of umgc.
Planning and Writing a Research Paper
After you have decided on a topic that you want to learn more about, you need to review the literature that has been written about your topic. This is called performing a literature review.
If you are a UMGC student, you could use the search box in the middle of the library homepage , and see what you find out about your topic. If you are not a UMGC student, then you can use your local library catalog, or you could do an internet search with your topic terms in Google and see what you might find. This is a learning and discovering time.
Review the literature: Take a few hours or an evening to investigate the library for journals, scholarly books, and publications from credible sources to give you a general sense of the topic. When you are researching and finding resources, you are answering the question of how to review literature.
Make sure to keep a list of the resources that you find useful. This preliminary research will prepare you to frame your research question.
Weed out sources: This is where you determine if the sources that you found will help your writing or if you need to “weed” out or remove any that are not helpful to you.
Refine your topic: This is where you determine if you need to reframe your topic to utilize all of the sources that you found when digging in to your topic. In this part of the process, you are answering the question of why we do literature reviews in the first place. When you refine and make your topic more detailed and concise, you will have an easier time when sitting down and writing your paper.
Mailing Address: 3501 University Blvd. East, Adelphi, MD 20783 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License . © 2022 UMGC. All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the validity or integrity of information located at external sites.
Chapter 1: College Writing
How Does College Writing Differ from Workplace Writing?
What Is College Writing?
Why So Much Emphasis on Writing?
Chapter 2: The Writing Process
Doing Exploratory Research
Getting from Notes to Your Draft
Introduction
Prewriting - Techniques to Get Started - Mining Your Intuition
Prewriting: Targeting Your Audience
Prewriting: Techniques to Get Started
Prewriting: Understanding Your Assignment
Rewriting: Being Your Own Critic
Rewriting: Creating a Revision Strategy
Rewriting: Getting Feedback
Rewriting: The Final Draft
Techniques to Get Started - Outlining
Techniques to Get Started - Using Systematic Techniques
Thesis Statement and Controlling Idea
Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Freewriting
Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Summarizing Your Ideas
Writing: Outlining What You Will Write
Chapter 3: Thinking Strategies
A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone
A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone: Style Through Vocabulary and Diction
Critical Strategies and Writing
Critical Strategies and Writing: Analysis
Critical Strategies and Writing: Evaluation
Critical Strategies and Writing: Persuasion
Critical Strategies and Writing: Synthesis
Developing a Paper Using Strategies
Kinds of Assignments You Will Write
Patterns for Presenting Information
Patterns for Presenting Information: Critiques
Patterns for Presenting Information: Discussing Raw Data
Patterns for Presenting Information: General-to-Specific Pattern
Patterns for Presenting Information: Problem-Cause-Solution Pattern
Patterns for Presenting Information: Specific-to-General Pattern
Patterns for Presenting Information: Summaries and Abstracts
Supporting with Research and Examples
Writing Essay Examinations
Writing Essay Examinations: Make Your Answer Relevant and Complete
Writing Essay Examinations: Organize Thinking Before Writing
Writing Essay Examinations: Read and Understand the Question
Chapter 4: The Research Process
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Ask a Research Question
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Cite Sources
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Collect Evidence
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Decide Your Point of View, or Role, for Your Research
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Draw Conclusions
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Find a Topic and Get an Overview
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Manage Your Resources
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Outline
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Survey the Literature
Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Work Your Sources into Your Research Writing
Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Human Resources
Research Resources: What Are Research Resources?
Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found?
Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Electronic Resources
Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Print Resources
Structuring the Research Paper: Formal Research Structure
Structuring the Research Paper: Informal Research Structure
The Nature of Research
The Research Assignment: How Should Research Sources Be Evaluated?
The Research Assignment: When Is Research Needed?
The Research Assignment: Why Perform Research?
Chapter 5: Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity
Giving Credit to Sources
Giving Credit to Sources: Copyright Laws
Giving Credit to Sources: Documentation
Giving Credit to Sources: Style Guides
Integrating Sources
Practicing Academic Integrity
Practicing Academic Integrity: Keeping Accurate Records
Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material
Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Paraphrasing Your Source
Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Quoting Your Source
Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Summarizing Your Sources
Types of Documentation
Types of Documentation: Bibliographies and Source Lists
Types of Documentation: Citing World Wide Web Sources
Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations
Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - APA Style
Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - CSE/CBE Style
Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - Chicago Style
Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - MLA Style
Types of Documentation: Note Citations
Chapter 6: Using Library Resources
Finding Library Resources
Chapter 7: Assessing Your Writing
How Is Writing Graded?
How Is Writing Graded?: A General Assessment Tool
The Draft Stage
The Draft Stage: The First Draft
The Draft Stage: The Revision Process and the Final Draft
The Draft Stage: Using Feedback
The Research Stage
Using Assessment to Improve Your Writing
Chapter 8: Other Frequently Assigned Papers
Reviews and Reaction Papers: Article and Book Reviews
Reviews and Reaction Papers: Reaction Papers
Writing Arguments
Writing Arguments: Adapting the Argument Structure
Writing Arguments: Purposes of Argument
Writing Arguments: References to Consult for Writing Arguments
Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Anticipate Active Opposition
Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Determine Your Organization
Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Develop Your Argument
Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Introduce Your Argument
Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - State Your Thesis or Proposition
Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Write Your Conclusion
Writing Arguments: Types of Argument
Dictionaries
General Style Manuals
Researching on the Internet
Special Style Manuals
Writing Handbooks
Collaborative Writing: Assignments to Accompany the Group Project
Collaborative Writing: Informal Progress Report
Collaborative Writing: Issues to Resolve
Collaborative Writing: Methodology
Collaborative Writing: Peer Evaluation
Collaborative Writing: Tasks of Collaborative Writing Group Members
Collaborative Writing: Writing Plan
General Introduction
Peer Reviewing
Working with Your Instructor’s Comments and Grades
Devising a Writing Project Plan and Schedule
Reviewing Your Plan with Others
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Research papers.
Sections of an academic article.
Most academic journal articles include the following sections:
TIP: To begin selecting articles for your research, read the highlighted sections to determine whether the academic journal article includes information relevant to your research topic.
When sorting through multiple articles discovered in the research process, skimming through these sections of the article will help you determine whether the article will be useful in your research.
If the article fits your information needs, go back and read the article thoroughly. TIP: Create a folder on your computer to save copies of articles you plan to use, and save your references.
Think about how you will evaluate the academic articles you find and how you will determine whether to include them in your research project. Ask yourself the following questions to focus your search in the academic literature:
Before reading the article, ask yourself the following:
As you read the article make note of the following:
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What is survey research.
15 min read Find out everything you need to know about survey research, from what it is and how it works to the different methods and tools you can use to ensure you’re successful.
Survey research is the process of collecting data from a predefined group (e.g. customers or potential customers) with the ultimate goal of uncovering insights about your products, services, or brand overall .
As a quantitative data collection method, survey research can provide you with a goldmine of information that can inform crucial business and product decisions. But survey research needs careful planning and execution to get the results you want.
So if you’re thinking about using surveys to carry out research, read on.
Get started with our free survey software
Calling these methods ‘survey research’ slightly underplays the complexity of this type of information gathering. From the expertise required to carry out each activity to the analysis of the data and its eventual application, a considerable amount of effort is required.
As for how you can carry out your research, there are several options to choose from — face-to-face interviews, telephone surveys, focus groups (though more interviews than surveys), online surveys, and panel surveys.
Typically, the survey method you choose will largely be guided by who you want to survey, the size of your sample , your budget, and the type of information you’re hoping to gather.
Here are a few of the most-used survey types:
Before technology made it possible to conduct research using online surveys, telephone, and mail were the most popular methods for survey research. However face-to-face interviews were considered the gold standard — the only reason they weren’t as popular was due to their highly prohibitive costs.
When it came to face-to-face interviews, organisations would use highly trained researchers who knew when to probe or follow up on vague or problematic answers. They also knew when to offer assistance to respondents when they seemed to be struggling. The result was that these interviewers could get sample members to participate and engage in surveys in the most effective way possible, leading to higher response rates and better quality data.
While phone surveys have been popular in the past, particularly for measuring general consumer behaviour or beliefs, response rates have been declining since the 1990s .
Phone surveys are usually conducted using a random dialling system and software that a researcher can use to record responses.
This method is beneficial when you want to survey a large population but don’t have the resources to conduct face-to-face research surveys or run focus groups, or want to ask multiple-choice and open-ended questions .
The downsides are they can: take a long time to complete depending on the response rate, and you may have to do a lot of cold-calling to get the information you need.
You also run the risk of respondents not being completely honest . Instead, they’ll answer your survey questions quickly just to get off the phone.
Focus groups are a separate qualitative methodology rather than surveys — even though they’re often bunched together. They’re normally used for survey pretesting and designing , but they’re also a great way to generate opinions and data from a diverse range of people.
Focus groups involve putting a cohort of demographically or socially diverse people in a room with a moderator and engaging them in a discussion on a particular topic, such as your product, brand, or service.
They remain a highly popular method for market research , but they’re expensive and require a lot of administration to conduct and analyse the data properly.
You also run the risk of more dominant members of the group taking over the discussion and swaying the opinions of other people — potentially providing you with unreliable data.
Online surveys have become one of the most popular survey methods due to being cost-effective, enabling researchers to accurately survey a large population quickly.
Online surveys can essentially be used by anyone for any research purpose – we’ve all seen the increasing popularity of polls on social media (although these are not scientific).
Using an online survey allows you to ask a series of different question types and collect data instantly that’s easy to analyse with the right software.
There are also several methods for running and distributing online surveys that allow you to get your questionnaire in front of a large population at a fraction of the cost of face-to-face interviews or focus groups.
This is particularly true when it comes to mobile surveys as most people with a smartphone can access them online.
However, you have to be aware of the potential dangers of using online surveys, particularly when it comes to the survey respondents. The biggest risk is because online surveys require access to a computer or mobile device to complete, they could exclude elderly members of the population who don’t have access to the technology — or don’t know how to use it.
It could also exclude those from poorer socio-economic backgrounds who can’t afford a computer or consistent internet access. This could mean the data collected is more biased towards a certain group and can lead to less accurate data when you’re looking for a representative population sample.
When it comes to surveys, every voice matters.
A panel survey involves recruiting respondents who have specifically signed up to answer questionnaires and who are put on a list by a research company. This could be a workforce of a small company or a major subset of a national population. Usually, these groups are carefully selected so that they represent a sample of your target population — giving you balance across criteria such as age, gender, background, and so on.
Panel surveys give you access to the respondents you need and are usually provided by the research company in question. As a result, it’s much easier to get access to the right audiences as you just need to tell the research company your criteria. They’ll then determine the right panels to use to answer your questionnaire.
However, there are downsides. The main one being that if the research company offers its panels incentives, e.g. discounts, coupons, money — respondents may answer a lot of questionnaires just for the benefits.
This might mean they rush through your survey without providing considered and truthful answers. As a consequence, this can damage the credibility of your data and potentially ruin your analyses.
Depending on the research method you use, there are lots of benefits to conducting survey research for data collection. Here, we cover a few:
Most research surveys are easy to set up, administer and analyse. As long as the planning and survey design is thorough and you target the right audience , the data collection is usually straightforward regardless of which survey type you use.
Survey research can be relatively cheap depending on the type of survey you use.
Generally, qualitative research methods that require access to people in person or over the phone are more expensive and require more administration.
Online surveys or mobile surveys are often more cost-effective for market research and can give you access to the global population for a fraction of the cost.
Again, depending on the type of survey, you can obtain survey results from an entire population at a relatively low price. You can also administer a large variety of survey types to fit the project you’re running.
Using survey software, you can use advanced statistical analysis techniques to gain insights into your responses immediately.
Analysis can be conducted using a variety of parameters to determine the validity and reliability of your survey data at scale.
While most people view surveys as a quantitative research method, they can just as easily be adapted to gain qualitative information by simply including open-ended questions or conducting interviews face to face.
While surveys are a great way to obtain data, that data on its own is useless unless it can be analysed and developed into actionable insights.
The easiest, and most effective way to measure survey results, is to use a dedicated research tool that puts all of your survey results into one place.
When it comes to survey measurement, there are four measurement types to be aware of that will determine how you treat your different survey results:
With a nominal scale , you can only keep track of how many respondents chose each option from a question, and which response generated the most selections.
An example of this would be simply asking a responder to choose a product or brand from a list.
You could find out which brand was chosen the most but have no insight as to why.
Ordinal scales are used to judge an order of preference. They do provide some level of quantitative value because you’re asking responders to choose a preference of one option over another.
Ratio scales can be used to judge the order and difference between responses. For example, asking respondents how much they spend on their weekly shopping on average.
In an interval scale, values are lined up in order with a meaningful difference between the two values — for example, measuring temperature or measuring a credit score between one value and another.
Conducting a survey and collecting data is relatively straightforward, but it does require some careful planning and design to ensure it results in reliable data.
What do you want to learn from the survey? How is the data going to help you? Having a hypothesis or series of assumptions about survey responses will allow you to create the right questions to test them.
Once you’ve got your hypotheses or assumptions, write out the questions you need answering to test your theories or beliefs. Be wary about framing questions that could lead respondents or inadvertently create biased responses .
Your survey should include a variety of question types and should aim to obtain quantitative data with some qualitative responses from open-ended questions. Using a mix of questions (simple Yes/ No, multiple-choice, rank in order, etc) not only increases the reliability of your data but also reduces survey fatigue and respondents simply answering questions quickly without thinking.
Before sending your questionnaire out, you should test it (e.g. have a random internal group do the survey) and carry out A/B tests to ensure you’ll gain accurate responses.
Depending on your objectives, you might want to target the general population with your survey or a specific segment of the population. Once you’ve narrowed down who you want to target, it’s time to send out the survey.
After you’ve deployed the survey, keep an eye on the response rate to ensure you’re getting the number you expected. If your response rate is low, you might need to send the survey out to a second group to obtain a large enough sample — or do some troubleshooting to work out why your response rates are so low. This could be down to your questions, delivery method, selected sample, or otherwise.
Once you’ve got your results back, it’s time for the fun part.
Break down your survey responses using the parameters you’ve set in your objectives and analyse the data to compare to your original assumptions. At this stage, a research tool or software can make the analysis a lot easier — and that’s somewhere Qualtrics can help.
Gaining feedback from customers and leads is critical for any business, data gathered from surveys can prove invaluable for understanding your products and your market position, and with survey software from Qualtrics , it couldn’t be easier.
Used by more than 13,000 brands and supporting more than 1 billion surveys a year, Qualtrics empowers everyone in your organisation to gather insights and take action. No coding required — and your data is housed in one system.
Get feedback from more than 125 sources on a single platform and view and measure your data in one place to create actionable insights and gain a deeper understanding of your target customers.
Automatically run complex text and statistical analysis to uncover exactly what your survey data is telling you, so you can react in real-time and make smarter decisions.
We can help you with survey management, too. From designing your survey and finding your target respondents to getting your survey in the field and reporting back on the results, we can help you every step of the way.
And for expert market researchers and survey designers, Qualtrics features custom programming to give you total flexibility over question types, survey design, embedded data, and other variables.
No matter what type of survey you want to run, what target audience you want to reach, or what assumptions you want to test or answers you want to uncover, we’ll help you design, deploy and analyse your survey with our team of experts.
Start your survey research today with Qualtrics
Thematic analysis 11 min read, post event survey questions 10 min read, choosing the best survey tools 16 min read, survey app 11 min read, close-ended questions 7 min read, survey vs questionnaire 12 min read, likert scales 14 min read, request demo.
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Teaching & learning.
As part of its broad-based teaching mission, the AHA develops and shares resources for educators and students. From regional teaching conferences and online programs to pathbreaking research projects, AHA initiatives foster a community grounded in our shared commitment to understanding the past. We support and convene people who share a love of history and historical thinking.
The AHA strives to ensure that every K–12 student has access to high quality history instruction. We create resources for the classroom, advise on state and federal policy, and advocate for the vital importance of history in public education.
Teaching and learning are at the foundation of the AHA’s mission to promote historical thinking in public life. What do students learn in undergraduate history courses? How and why are history majors so successful in a variety of careers?
Many historians will pursue graduate training at some stage in their career. To meet the needs of both students and graduate programs, the AHA creates resources, provides platforms, and convenes conversations about student success from application to completion.
History department chairs are on the front lines of the discipline, defending historians’ work and supporting their professional lives at all stages of their academic careers. The AHA strives to strengthen this work and provide resources and opportunities that make chairs’ work easier and valued. The AHA provides resources and hosts a variety of events and opportunities to benefit department chairs and build community, including webinars, sessions at the annual meeting, and an in-person workshop.
Essential, carefully researched resources by historians providing context for conversations about current events.
What do students learn in introductory history courses? How can historical thinking support student learning and success across the curriculum? Our regional conferences endeavor to strengthen the community of practice focused on introductory history courses, both in secondary and higher education.
June 10, 2024
June 9, 2024
Aha historical collections.
The AHA has made primary sources available for research purposes, along with AHA archival reports and documents.
Vetted Resources compiles in a central location materials and tools that have been professionally vetted by historians, offering instructors access to high-quality materials that meet professional standards
June 20, 2024
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The history of racism and racist violence: monuments and museums, join the aha.
The AHA brings together historians from all specializations and all work contexts, embracing the breadth and variety of activity in history today.
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A survey paper, also known as a review paper or a literature review, is a type of academic paper that synthesizes and analyzes existing research on a particular topic. It goes beyond summarizing individual studies and aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the field. The goal of a survey paper is to identify trends, patterns, and gaps in ...
A survey paper is different from a regular research paper. Every element of the essay needs to relate to the research question and tie into the overall objective of the paper. Writing research papers takes a lot of effort and attention to detail. You will have to revise, edit and proofread your work several times.
Majority of researchers write survey paper after consulting different papers but most important thing is to understand the scientific topic, its flow and future insights. ... Remember, a good survey paper written on a mature research area should have atleast 50 references, although a survey paper written on new or emerging topic can be with ...
Statistical analysis is usually conducted using programs like SPSS or Stata. The same set of survey data can be subject to many analyses. Step 6: Write up the survey results. Finally, when you have collected and analyzed all the necessary data, you will write it up as part of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper.
Statistical analysis is usually conducted using programs like SPSS or Stata. The same set of survey data can be subject to many analyses. Step 6: Write up the survey results. Finally, when you have collected and analysed all the necessary data, you will write it up as part of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper.
Survey Paper Overview. Writing a survey paper involves more than just summarizing content; it requires a deep dive into existing literature, selecting relevant sources, and presenting a clear overview of the chosen topic. In this guide, you'll find valuable insights on how to structure your survey paper, dos and don'ts, and answers to ...
Take notes Read all relevant papers and document relevant notes. If possible, classify each relevant paper according to your research questions. Infer, classify, and synthesize This is the most important step of writing a survey paper. IMHO, a survey should not produce a laundry list of papers for a specific dimension.
Dr Sparsh Mittal's tips on how to write an effective survey paper
Writing a survey paper is much more difficult than writing a research paper. You do not simply list prior results. You need to assimilate and synthesize the results. Sometimes you'll need to address conflicts in notation or introduce entirely new notation. And, of course, you need to have a point.
A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic. There are five key steps to writing a literature review:
Step 3: Creating an Abstract. Another important step to be taken when writing a survey paper is to create an abstract. The abstract acts as a summary of your survey paper. It should provide a summary of the problem that has been investigated, the methods used, the results of the study, and the conclusion.
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 ...
Regular research papers are a description of your own research. A survey paper is a service to the scientiflc community. You are doing their research for them. Instead of reading 20+ papers to understand what a scientiflc topic is about, they just need to read your paper. Which subjects should you write a survey about: flelds which are on ...
Questionnaires vs. surveys. A survey is a research method where you collect and analyze data from a group of people. A questionnaire is a specific tool or instrument for collecting the data.. Designing a questionnaire means creating valid and reliable questions that address your research objectives, placing them in a useful order, and selecting an appropriate method for administration.
Writing About the Paper Surveys. As you write, ensure each paragraph contains eight sentences to maintain a cohesive flow. Explore the challenges faced during the survey process, discuss the importance of each research paper, and analyze the scope within which the survey was conducted. By providing a detailed account, you help readers grasp the ...
Questionnaire Design Tip Sheet. This PSR Tip Sheet provides some basic tips about how to write good survey questions and design a good survey questionnaire. PSR Questionnaire Tip Sheet. 40 KB. Printer-friendly version.
This article provides a complete guide on how to write survey papers, an essential skill in academic research. Survey papers are in-depth explorations and syntheses of existing research within a specific field or topic, serving as invaluable tools for researchers.
Within the medical realm, there are three main types of survey: epidemiological surveys, surveys on attitudes to a health service or intervention and questionnaires assessing knowledge on a particular issue or topic. 1. Despite a widespread perception that surveys are easy to conduct, in order to yield meaningful results, a survey needs ...
Abstract. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a massive rise in survey-based research. The paucity of perspicuous guidelines for conducting surveys may pose a challenge to the conduct of ethical, valid and meticulous research. The aim of this paper is to guide authors aiming to publish in scholarly journals regarding the ...
A good survey can make or break your research. Learn how to write strong survey questions, learn what not to do, and see a range of practical examples. The accuracy and relevance of the data you collect depend largely on the quality of your survey questions. In other words, good questions make for good research outcomes.
#surveypaper #phd #researchHow to write a survey paper. Every researcher should know how to write a survey paper. Actually, writing survey paper is difficult...
In this blog, we will explain how to write a research paper that employs a survey questionnaire. We will discuss all the important points to consider while writing the research paper. The title of our research paper is 'Understanding online shopping behaviors of older population - A questionnaire study.' Please note that this is not a ...
Review the literature: Take a few hours or an evening to investigate the library for journals, scholarly books, and publications from credible sources to give you a general sense of the topic. When you are researching and finding resources, you are answering the question of how to review literature. Make sure to keep a list of the resources that you find useful.
Data analysis process. As the data available to companies continues to grow both in amount and complexity, so too does the need for an effective and efficient process by which to harness the value of that data.
Introduction (Definition of the research question to be studied) Literature Review (A summary of past research noting where gaps exist) Methods (The research design including variables, sample size, measurements) Data (Information gathered through the study often displayed in tables and charts)
Survey research is the process of collecting data from a predefined group (e.g. customers or potential customers) with the ultimate goal of uncovering insights about your products, services, or brand overall. As a quantitative data collection method, survey research can provide you with a goldmine of information that can inform crucial business and product decisions.
Resources for Educators & Students K-12 Education The AHA strives to ensure that every K-12 student has access to high quality history instruction. We create resources for the classroom, advise on state and federal policy, and advocate for the vital importance of history in public education. Learn More Undergraduate Education…