Introduction to Survey Research Design

There is an unfortunate common perception that "I've taken a survey so I can write one."  Yet there is a definite science to writing and fielding a survey that will result in high quality data.  Over one hundred years of experimental design research has informed questionnaire design and field work.  Books, scholarly articles, government working papers and conference presentations contain a wealth of information on wording, formatting, incentives, mode effects (e.g., web versus phone), length, interviewers and more.  In this workshop we will (a) discuss writing a questionnaire, (b) compare web, phone, mail and face-to-face methods, (c) discuss issues around fielding such as incentives and timing and (d) conclude with some of the most contemporary methods to consider in utilizing data from social media, GPS, and paradata.  Attendees will receive handouts and other resources for further inquiry required of anyone serious in collecting their own data.