NCJ Number
106715
Date Published
1986
Length
80 pages
Annotation
Based on a review of relevant experimental literature and the lore of professional experience, this book presents guidelines for writing survey questions.
Abstract
The first chapter focuses on general strategies culled from examples or experiences of question crafters and the findings of empirical researchers. General perspectives and cautions more than specific procedures are presented. Chapter 2 draws practical implications for survey questions from specific empirical findings. Guidelines pertain to the design of specific rather than general questions, when to leave a question open and when to close it, the offering of a no-opinion option, measuring intensity, the use of forced-choice questions, question order, and wording effects. The concluding chapter discusses survey pilot work, pretesting, and the use of expert advice on survey construction. Among the topics considered are design strategies, pretest purposes, pretesting phases, and borrowing questions from others. 81 references.