How to Design the Right Questionnaire for Your Research

A right questionnaire to be applied on your study sample is the one that is relevant and effective in bringing out proper responses to the intended queries. When we talk about designing such a tool for a study, it is important to understand the right ways in which it should be done. If a standardized tool is designed, then it will give you the required type of data. Check out here some considerations that help you in coming up with a suitable tool.

Understand objectives and relevance

If you do not know your goal, then you will only collect random and irrelevant data. Thus, understand what you would be trying to answer using this tool. Design your questionnaire by keeping its focus on the study objectives and data collection goals. Avoid including redundant questions that do not answer a relevant query. Your collected data should be of use to you. Thus, only develop questions that can answer what you are trying to investigate.

Design for specific study type/respondents

In qualitative and quantitative studies, you ask different types of questions. Your questions may also vary according to the type of your subjects. Not all respondents and studies are the same. Thus, the tool has to be developed aptly. You should also check the way you would want to apply your questionnaire. For instance, you cannot use the same type of questions in a personal interaction and over an email.

Keep it general and short

Sticking to the point always helps rather than beating around the bush. Thus, make your questionnaire short and your questions crisp. Be direct in your approach of asking questions. Make use of simple language that your subjects can understand. Make sure that your questions are not offensive or unethical.

Test reliability and validity

It is also important that you use the designed tool after checking its reliability and validity on a sample. Make it sound before use.

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Steffi Loreti

Dr. Steffi Loreti has earned her PhD in Social Psychology. She has taught history and sociology for over fifteen years and has published forty seven research papers in impact factor journals. She has seven years of hands-on experience in reviewing and editing dissertations, proposals and technical manuscripts. She has chaired over 100 dissertations in the past. She has been supporting scholars through her company named 24x7 Editing, which offers detailed proofreading, editing and formatting services.

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