Surveys and Questionnaires in Research: Types, Design and Real Examples

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Below, we explain how surveys and questionnaires work, with real questionnaire studies published by PhD researchers on ScholarsColab.

Common question types at a glance

Example: questionnaire studies by our mentors

To explain how a questionnaire study works, we look at real studies published by our mentors. Our data: 41,792 papers, mostly published between 1998 and 2026, by 967 ScholarsColab mentors (data updated 15 October 2026).

Step 1
Look at real questionnaire studies. Each of these surveyed a specific group of people (the selection changes every day):

Step 2
Spot the population in each title. Students, teachers, nurses, farmers, employees: every survey starts by deciding who to ask. That decision shapes who the results apply to.

Step 3
Spot what was measured. Most of these studies measure knowledge, attitudes, perceptions or satisfaction: things you can only learn by asking people.

Step 4
See where questionnaires are used. 68 of the 41,792 papers in our data (0.2%) show this in their title: questionnaire / opinion survey. It is most common in Social sciences & education, where 2% of papers show it. Questionnaires are the main tool in the social sciences, education, management and public health; engineering and computer science rely more on experiments and simulations.

How to design a questionnaire

1. Start from your research question and list exactly what you need to know.
2. Use validated scales where they exist rather than inventing new questions.
3. Keep each question to one idea, in simple, neutral language.
4. Choose answer formats that match how you will analyse the data.
5. Order questions logically: easy and general first, sensitive and personal later.
6. Pilot it with a small group, then fix unclear or confusing questions.
7. Plan your sample and distribution: who receives it, how, and how you will raise the response rate.

Common mistakes reviewers point out

• Double-barrelled questions, such as “Is the course useful and well organised?”, which ask two things at once.
• Leading questions that push respondents towards an answer.
• No reliability or validity check for the scales used.
• Low response rates without discussing who did not respond.
• Generalising from a convenience sample, such as only the researcher’s own students.

Frequently asked questions

Use this data in your own work

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