Learning and Evaluation/Archive/Learning modules/3Be Specific

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Part 1: Introduction

Welcome!

Why Survey?

Why Surveys Are Useful

Attributes - a special case

Survey Objective and Planning

Part 2: Reliability & Validity

Reliability & Validity

Part 3: Question Construction

Writing Good Questions

Questions from Existing Surveys

Constructing your own Questions

Be Specific

Be Concise

Avoid Double Negatives

Minimize Social Desirability Bias

Avoid Double-barreled questions

Avoid abbreviations, jargon, technical terms, or slang

Avoid leading questions

Avoid loaded questions

Use appropriate wording

Ask useful questions

Rely on second-hand data sparsely

Use caution when asking personal questions

Part 4: Response Options

Choosing response options

Part 5: Questionnaire structure

Important considerations

Questions order

Additional Resources

Feedback

Wikimedia Training Designing Effective Questions Menu

Be specific, not vague or ambiguous

Objective

Measuring a person’s participation level in a series of Edit-a-thons held during the month of March 2013.

Very poor

Did you attend the Edit-a-thon on March 21, 2013?



No information would be obtained about whether the respondent participated to one or more events.

Poor

Did you attend the March Edit-a-thon series regularly?



"Regularly" is a vague word that is interpreted differently by each respondent.

Better

Which, if any, of the March Edit-a-thon series did you participate in? Choose all that apply:



This question is much more specific and respondents will provide a full range of information.