Web survey
From Wikipedia
Methods
Describe target population, sample frame
You should be able to answer whether the sample is a convenience sample as in an “open” surveys this is most likely. Also answer in what timeframe were the data were collected.
- For this study our goal was to include all gastroenterologists in the States of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. In order accomplish this goal we used the most recent list of American Gastroenterology Association (AGA ) members available: The 2006 AGA Membership Directory. This directory is the most comprehensive list of gastroenterologists in the United States. As stated in their website, there are 15,500 members including physicians and scientists who provide care or conduct research related to disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.
IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval and informed consent process IRB approval
Mention whether the study has been approved by an IRB.
- This study was conducted using anonymous surveys with no identifiers, therefore not requiring the provision of informed consent according to the Institutional Review Board at Duke University.
Describe the informed consent process
Where were the participants told the length of time of the survey, which data were stored and where and for how long, who the investigator was, and the purpose of the study?
- This study was conducted using anonymous surveys with no identifiers, therefore not requiring the provision of informed consent according to the Institutional Review Board at Duke University.
Data protection
If any personal information was collected or stored, describe what mechanisms were used to protect unauthorized access.
- All the data collected were stored in a password-protected, encrypted server.
Development and pre-testing development and testing
State how the survey was developed, including whether the usability and technical functionality of the electronic questionnaire had been tested before fielding the questionnaire.
- Using DADOS-Survey, the first step in creating the study was to define the name, type, number of items per page, and if items would be randomized . The second step was to create the questionnaire form in DADOS-Survey, define the email text and upload the email list from the AGA Membership Directory. (...) A pilot survey was initially sent out to the female gastroenterologists at Duke University Medical Center. These first eight users answered the questionnaire and provided feedback on the Web tool as well as the survey itself. Notes were made about the average time spent to complete the survey and the number of responses following each email. Using the information collected during this pilot, the survey was then revised and modified for improvement. (...) Five different waves of surveys were created in DADOS-Survey, one for each State, all with the same questionnaire and structure. In August the survey was launched in the State of North Carolina. In October it was launched in the Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. Finally, in November the survey was launched in Florida. In each State participants received three waves of emails, with an interval of approximately 2 weeks between them, so that they could be reminded to participate if they had not done so up to that time.
Recruitment process and description of the sample having access to the questionnaire
Open survey versus closed survey - an “open survey” is a survey open for each visitor of a site, while a closed survey is only open to a sample which the investigator knows (password-protected survey)
- Using DADOS-Survey (Shah, 2006), an application for conducting CHERRIES-compliant web surveys (Eysenbach, 2004 ), emails were sent out to every AGA member listed under the States of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia who had provided a contact email.
Contact mode
Indicate whether or not the initial contact with the potential participants was made on the Internet. (Investigators may also send out questionnaires by mail and allow for Web-based data entry.)
- A total of 1175 AGA members received an email message. This contact email explained the purpose of the study and included a link to the survey (see appendix 1 for text).
Advertising the survey
How/where was the survey announced or advertised? Some examples are offline media (newspapers), or online (mailing lists – If yes, which ones?) or banner ads (Where were these banner ads posted and what did they look like?). It is important to know the wording of the announcement as it will heavily influence who chooses to participate. Ideally the survey announcement should be published as an appendix.
- The survey was voluntary, no incentives were offered, and no advertising was used for this study.
Survey administration Web/E-mail
State the type of e-survey (eg, one posted on a Web site, or one sent out through e-mail). If it is an e-mail survey, were the responses entered manually into a database, or was there an automatic method for capturing responses?
- A total of 1175 AGA members received an email message. This contact email explained the purpose of the study and included a link to the survey (see appendix 1 for text). (...) At the bottom of the email, the participants found a link to the questionnaire (seeappendix 2 for text). Although the survey was sent through emails, the data entry was web-based.
Context
Describe the Web site (for mailing list/newsgroup) in which the survey was posted. What is the Web site about, who is visiting it, what are visitors normally looking for? Discuss to what degree the content of the Web site could pre-select the sample or influence the results. For example, a survey about vaccination on a anti-immunization Web site will have different results from a Web survey conducted on a government Web site
- A total of 1175 AGA members received an email message. This contact email explained the purpose of the study and included a link to the survey (see appendix 1 for text).
Mandatory/voluntary
Was it a mandatory survey to be filled in by every visitor who wanted to enter the Web site, or was it a voluntary survey?
- The survey was voluntary, no incentives were offered, and no advertising was used for this study.
Incentives
Were any incentives offered (eg, monetary, prizes, or non-monetary incentives such as an offer to provide the survey results)?
- The survey was voluntary, no incentives were offered, and no advertising was used for this study.
Randomization of items or questionnaire
To prevent biases items can be randomized or alternated.
- The questions in the survey followed a fixed, non-randomized, order and were grouped as follows: 1) Demographics; 2) Overall Satisfaction; 3) Schedule; 4) Relationship with colleagues; 5) Work Climate; 6) Career Advancement Opportunities; 7) Financial; 8) Reasons for choosing your specialty;
Adaptive questioning
Use adaptive questioning (certain items, or only conditionally displayed based on responses to other items) to reduce number and complexity of the questions.
- There was no adaptive questioning in this survey.
Number of Items
What was the number of questionnaire items per page? The number of items is an important factor for the completion rate.
- The questionnaire consisted of 50 items, which were displayed in 2 pages with 22 and 28 questions per page.
Number of screens (pages)
Over how many pages was the questionnaire distributed? The number of items is an important factor for the completion rate.
- The questionnaire consisted of 50 items, which were displayed in 2 pages with 22 and 28 questions per page.
Completeness check
It is technically possible to do consistency or completeness checks before the questionnaire is submitted. Was this done, and if “yes”, how (usually JAVAScript)? An alternative is to check for completeness after the questionnaire has been submitted (and highlight mandatory items). If this has been done, it should be reported. All items should provide a non-response option such as “not applicable” or “rather not say”, and selection of one response option should be enforced.
- Once the survey was answered, a review page appeared, allowing users to do a “completeness check” of the survey.
Review step
State whether respondents were able to review and change their answers (eg, through a Back button or a Review step which displays
- Participants were notified of any unanswered items and had the opportunity to review and/or change their responses.
Results
similar to Results section of Secondary Data Analysis
