Designing a Research Instrument

The design and ordering of questions in surveys is a specialist task. Where possible employ or consult with professionals. You should always pilot any questionnaire to see whether respondents understand what is being asked of them and (in the case of face-to-face interviews) whether interviewers find the questionnaire easy to use.

The first step in designing any question or instrument is to define exactly what it is you want to find out about, and what information you need about it. This is not always easy.

Click here for a table showing case studies of instrument design 

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