Formatting Your Survey Instrument in Microsoft Word
Example Layout and Tips
[Survey Cover Sheet]
Center Your Survey Title (big, bold headline)
(Give the survey a clear, descriptive title for the type of survey you are doing)
[Introductory paragraph]Tell the reader the following as appropriate: 1) what the survey is, 2) who you are (your organization), 3) why the survey is important (what the information will be used for), 4) why the reader has been chosen to take the survey, 5) importance of filling out the survey honestly and accurately, 6) confidentiality/anonymity assurance, 7) any incentive information, and 8) how long it will take to fill out the survey. The order of these items may change depending on your survey needs and your target population. Write simply and clearly and in full sentences.
[Directions paragraph] Now provide directions for taking the survey, including directions on how to obtain survey answers (performance measures), how to submit the survey (e.g. pre-addressed and stamped envelope, fax, e-mail, web link, etc.), and who to contact if there are any questions (name, phone, email). If there are any special directions relevant to your survey, include them here.
[Closing]Thank the reader for taking the survey.
[Insert page break: survey will be begin on the next page]
Survey Title
- Sample multiple choice question layout
First response choice
Second response choice
Third response choice
Fourth response choice
Fifth response choice
- Sample open text question layout
______
______
______
______
- Sample short answer question layout
years
[Tip: Feel free to copy and paste the above from your CD into your survey document. This can save you time messing with formatting.]
[At end of survey] Thank the reader again for taking the survey, and include any final submission directions.
Tips on Response Choices in Microsoft Word
If you are doing a self-completion survey (postal or email attachment), you can use the Forms toolbar in Microsoft Word to insert fields in your document that will allow users to view and/or complete the survey electronically or in print. Keep in mind, however, that this may not be the most user-friendly way to display survey question choices; for example, the drop-down list box option (discussed below) will only display the response choices by clicking on the box. So use these tools with caution! And remember these form tools do not store the information in any kind of database for later querying.
To open up the Forms toolbar in Word, go to your View menu at the top of your screen, choose Tool Bars, and click on Forms. You can add any of the following form fields:
A text form field, where users can enter text. Double-click the item to set field options. You can set the text to be formatted as text, a number, or a date, and you can set the max length of the field. You can also add an underline to make the field show up more effectively for print.
A check box,where users caneither select or clear an item. This is best used for either a ‘check all that apply’ question or when you only want the “look” of a check box in your form.
A drop-down list box,which restricts available choices to those you specify. The user can scroll through the list to view choices. By double-clicking on this box, you can add all the drop-down items you would like to see. Be sure to make one of you drop-down items be called “Please choose,” “Click for Choices,” or some other neutral default option.
In order to activate these fields or test how the user will see them, click the Protect Form button (looks like a lock) on your Forms toolbar. When you want to go back to writing or modifying the form, click the Protect Form button again to remove protection. For more information of forms, go the Help menu in Word.
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