Survey Research
SURVEY RESEARCH
The Odum Institute offers consulting on all aspects of survey methodology. Pending availability, our staff may be hired to program Qualtrics surveys/forms and/or collect your survey data for you, by being bid as personnel on grant-funded projects or hired through the Odum Institute recharge center.
We also manage and provide user support for the university hosting of Qualtrics, a powerful web-survey tool available free-of-charge to the UNC community.
Survey Research Consultations
Brief consultations are offered at no charge to the UNC–Chapel Hill community. We offer survey review and consultation to UNC faculty and staff, and to students working on dissertations, theses, or other research projects. We do not provide consultation on class projects or assignments. We are happy to consult with researchers writing funding proposals that include survey data collection.
For extended consultation, our time may be purchased on an hourly basis (by advance arrangement) through the Odum Institute recharge center.
To request a consultation, please email to set up an appointment.
| Consultation Topic | Consultant |
|---|---|
| Questionnaire Design | Jessica Williams |
| Data Collection Modes and Methods | Jessica Williams |
| Pretesting and Cognitive Interviewing | Jessica Williams |
| Applying for IRB Approval | Jessica Williams |
| Sample Design and Power Calculations | Chris Wiesen |
| Analysis and Weighting | Chris Wiesen |
| Qualtrics | Tyler Steelman |
Survey Data Collection
If you are looking for someone to conduct your survey, members of our survey group are available on a cost-reimbursement basis. As their time permits, our staff can help develop your survey, program it, conduct data collection, and provide a data file in your choice of format.
In addition to technical capabilities, our staff will offer consultation on questionnaire design and question wording, strategies for maximizing response rate and data quality, and other best practices for conducting a high-quality web survey.
For more information about our data collection services or to obtain a cost estimate for your project, please contact Jessica Williams at jwilliams3@unc.edu.
Resources
Below is a collection of resources that may be helpful to those seeking guidance in planning a survey to collect quantitative data.
BOOKS:
- Improving survey questions: design and evaluation by Floyd J. Fowler, Jr., Sage Publications, 1995
- Designing and Constructing Instruments for Social Research and Evaluation by David Colton and Robert Covert, John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
- The Complete Guide to Writing Questionnaires: How to Get Better Information for Better Decisions by David F. Harris, I&M Press, 2014.
- Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys : the tailored design method by Don A. Dillman, Wiley, 2014.
VIDEOS:
- Pew Research Center: Methods 101: Survey Question Writing
- Elon University: 7 Tips for Good Survey Questions
BOOKS:
- Cognitive Interviewing: a Tool for Improving Questionnaire Design by Gordon B. Willis, Sage Publications, 2005.
- Methods for Testing and Evaluating Survey Questionnaires by Stanley Presser et al., eds. Wiley, 2004.
BOOKS:
- Survey Methodology by Robert M. Groves et al., eds. Wiley, 2009.
- Survey Research Methods by Floyd J. Fowler, Jr., Sage Publications, 2009.
VIDEOS:
- Elon University: Methods of Collecting Survey Data
- Pew Research Center: Methods 101: Mode Effects
- Elon University: A Survey in 10 Steps
ONLINE:
VIDEOS:
- Pew Research Center: Methods 101: Random Sampling
- Pew Research Center: Methods 101: Non-probability surveys
- Elon University: Breaking Down Probability Sampling
Qualtrics User Support
Qualtrics is a powerful web-survey tool that the Odum Institute survey research team brought to campus in 2006. It is browser-based, allowing researchers to access it from anywhere with an Internet connection, and allows users to build complex surveys, distribute them, and analyze the responses all from one place.
Any member of the UNC community can access and use Qualtrics free of charge by signing up through the UNC Qualtrics Portal.
We offer Qualtrics user support through walk-in consulting hours or email.
COVID-19 Update:
Qualtrics consulting hours continue to be held virtually instead of in person during the regularly scheduled hours (Mondays 1 to 4pm and Thursdays 10am to 1pm). To reach consultant Tyler Steelman over Zoom during these times, open your browser and go to go.unc.edu/QConsult. You will enter the zoom virtual waiting room and be admitted immediately or as soon as Tyler finishes with the person before you. (If you have not used Zoom before, you may be prompted to allow installation on your computer first). You may use video during your session or not; your choice.
If Zoom doesn’t suit you, we are happy to talk with you over regular phone line. Email us your phone number and Tyler will call you when he has a free moment during the next consulting period. We will also continue to provide answers to simpler Qualtrics questions and issues directly over email. Our email address is listed below and messages are read and responded to on Mondays and Thursdays.
QUALTRICS WALK-IN HOURS:
Mondays — 1PM – 4PM
Thursdays — 10AM – 1PM
EMAIL SUPPORT:
Qualtrics consulting is for technical software questions only. For guidance on survey construction, question wording, and other methodological topics, please contact Jessica Williams at jwilliams3@unc.edu for an appointment.
Tips and Tricks for UNC Qualtrics Users (PDF)
Sharing Access to Qualtrics Surveys with Other Users (PDF)
Qualtrics Programming Services
As availability allows, our staff may be hired to program Qualtrics surveys for UNC projects. For pricing, please contact Jessica Williams at jwilliams3@unc.edu.