Survey Research

The versatility of a survey as a research design tool makes it a popular choice with investigators in all fields of study. For example, survey research is a common practice for social scientists conducting quantitative research.

Surveys and questionnaires can take the form of a face-to-face interview or a phone interview. They may also be self-administered online or by mail for researchers hoping to recruit a larger participant pool or a harder-to-reach study population. The survey guidance and tools on this webpage were developed to meet the diverse needs of survey researchers.

Does Your Survey Research Require IRB Review?

Not all survey research will require IRB review. For example, a survey/interview designed to collect information about organizations or governments may not require IRB review. These tools can help researchers determine whether their survey study requires IRB review and approval:

Video Guide

For an official determination of whether survey research requires IRB review or approval, please complete the ORI Not Human Research Form. Only the IRB can determine whether a survey research protocol requires IRB review and approval.

IRB Review Types

Minimal-risk surveys are usually eligible for either Exempt or Expedited IRB Review. Many surveys with adults are eligible for Exempt IRB Review. Minimal-risk surveys that include children should be submitted for Expedited review. See Additional Resources for guidance on school-based surveys.

Typically, Full Board IRB review would only be required if the research is greater than minimal risk. Some examples include surveys that carry substantial financial, professional, or personal risks, and surveys on sensitive topics with substantial risks to mental or emotional health.

To help determine which review type best fits your survey study, see the tools on the IRB Review Types webpage, which include an Exemption Tool and an Interactive Exempt Review Decision Tool.

Informed Consent for Survey Research

The Anonymous Survey Consent Template and the Identifiable Survey Consent Template can be used to obtain informed consent for in-person or online surveys, questionnaires, or interviews. They can also be edited to include a signature line if needed. These templates can help you ensure all the required elements of informed consent are in your form.

Anonymous Survey Consent Template

For survey researchers who will not be collecting any identifiable information from participants.
Download (Word)

Identifiable Survey Consent Template

For survey research that will be collecting identifiable information from participants even if it’s just for payment purposes.
Download (Word)

Additional informed consent tools for survey research are available on the Informed Consent for Survey Research webpage.

Survey Recruitment & Data Collection Instruments

All participant-facing documents used in survey research should be attached to the protocol application for IRB review. This includes:

Survey Invitation, Survey Informed Consent, Pre-Screening Questionnaires, Interview Script, & Advertising

If separate correspondence or promotional material will be used to recruit survey research participants, upload it as an advertising document type in the Research Description section of a protocol application under, “Subject Recruitment Method & Advertising.” These include documents such as flyers or posters or email invitations to potential participants.

Data Collection Instrument(s)

If the research includes survey or interview procedures, the questionnaire, interview guides or assessment scales should be included in the protocol application. These materials can be uploaded as a data collection document type in the Research Description section of a protocol application under “Data Collection & Research Materials.”

Data collection instruments can be submitted with your application in draft form with the understanding that the final copy will be submitted to the IRB for approval prior to use. Researchers should submit the final version to the IRB as a modification request if the study was originally approved with a draft version.

NOTE: Print and media advertisements presented to the public require review by Public Relations Review (PRR) | UK Center for Clinical and Translation Science (uky.edu) to ensure compliance with UK graphic standards, and equal opportunity language.

Payment Considerations

Policies on payment distribution for participants fall outside of IRB purview. The IRB will only review payments from an ethical standpoint, and it is the responsibility of investigator to be familiar with the necessary departmental and university business/accounting practices.

Please check with your departmental business officer and/or University Financial Services if you intend to distribute payment. You may be required to obtain specific information or forms from participants to process or reconcile payments.

The most current guidance regarding university payment requirements can be found on the University Financial Services website. Additional information for international payments can be found on the Payments for Internationals website.

Strategies for Preventing & Identifying Online Survey Fraud

Include CAPTCHA feature to help detect bot responses.
Research what “bot detection” or “ballot stuffing prevention” features your survey platform offers and take the time to learn how to use them.
Activate HTTP Referrer to connect the last user page (preferably the survey) to the follow-up data-collecting page for compensation.
Collect demographic data in a separate survey to check for inconsistencies across surveys.
Include a screening-check question in the eligibility survey. For example, request a participant’s age in one section of the survey and the year a participant was born in another section.
Include an attention-check question in the survey. Insert a question that asks the respondent to pick a certain response (usually the first or last). This will not only reveal bots but also help identify ‘speeders’ or ‘straight-liners.’ For example:

For this question select Never as your answer:
- Always
- Almost Always
- Neutral
- Almost Never
- Never
Request zip codes to add an additional “look it up” step if the participant does not know the zip code.
End the survey with a final question asking participants if they have answered honestly.
Work with your study team to develop a security plan for identifying and preventing fraud activity.

Stating in the informed consent that participants may be contacted to confirm eligibility may deter fraudulent efforts.
The survey informed consent should include the criteria for eligibility and withholding payment for suspicious survey responses.
Require participants to have their cameras on during online survey interviews to detect imposter participation.
Compensate participants through email to determine the geographic location and screen for identical email addresses.*
Ask participants to confirm emails and/or phone numbers before completing the survey.*
Require verification from participants.*

*Use the Identifiable Survey Consent Template if personal identifiers will be collected to confirm participant identity.

Fraudulent attempts are easier when all eligibility criteria are included in promotional materials. Consider leaving some eligibility requirements out of the advertising.
Require potential participants to complete the full screening before informing them of their ineligibility. This will prevent pinpointing the eligibility criteria.
Give each advertisement placement a distinct URL to isolate the location of potential fraud during survey production. This will also limit potential fraud and prevent contaminating the whole data set.
Upload social media advertising as an image file instead of a copied script to avert bots from data scraping.

Do frequent online searches for the advertising URLs to confirm the survey access is only promoted in the planned locations.
Check for duplicate IP addresses and confirm geolocation.
Do automation checks for overall response time and individual module completion time to identify unreasonably fast start/stop times and question completion intervals.
Review the screening questions and the attention-check questions that were built into the survey.
Screen for straight-line responses where the same response is checked for every question. For example, if each question presents an A, B, C, or D option and a survey checks only B responses.
Train study personnel to recognize signs of fraudulent activity.

Survey Platforms

Regardless of the chosen platform, the IRB will want to ensure the researcher is utilizing the available privacy features to protect the confidentiality of research participants.

University of Kentucky researchers have several survey platforms to choose from when developing their surveys or questionnaires.

Preferred Survey Platforms

Qualtrics is available to the University of Kentucky community.
The Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) administers REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) for the University of Kentucky. REDCap is a web-based application designed by Vanderbilt University with tools for survey-building and researcher data capture. Users can create an account and register for training events on the CCTS website.
UK survey researchers can access the SONA subject pool for their survey research. Instructions for creating an online internal survey or adding a Qualtrics survey are located on the Department of Psychology website.

Additional Survey Platforms

Additional platforms like Survey Monkey have not been veted by the institution. Survey researchers should familiarize themselves with the Terms of Use and Privacy statements of their third-party survey platform. When reviewing a protocol application, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) looks for statements that evidence the researcher is aware of the Terms of Use and Privacy Statements which limit protections or result to ensure they are described in informed consent.

Additionally, survey researchers should consider the cost of using a third-party survey platform when planning their research budget. Unlike the preferred survey platforms available to University of Kentucky survey researchers, third-party platforms may include fees.

PLATFORM	GENERAL INFORMATION	TERMS OF USE & PRIVACY
Survey Monkey	SurveyMonkey and IRB Guidelines	Terms of Use
Prolific	Prolific Useful Information	Terms and Conditions

Additional Resources

School-Based Surveys & U.S. DoE/PPRA

THE PROTECTION OF PUPIL RIGHTS AMENDMENT (PPRA)

Survey Research

Does Your Survey Research Require IRB Review?

Jump To:

IRB Review Types