Institutional Survey Review Committee

Before submitting your survey for review, please consider the following:

• Is this a survey? The committee reviews surveys, not forms. The availability of Qualtrics and other data collection tools can blur the line between them.
  • A data collection activity is considered a survey when its primary purpose is to gather information from a group of people about their experiences, opinions, needs, behaviors, perceptions, satisfaction, or outcomes, and when the results will be summarized or used for assessment, planning, evaluation, reporting, research, or institutional decision-making.
  • Forms used solely to complete an administrative transaction (e.g., registration, RSVP, intake, application, scheduling, service delivery, or compliance documentation) are not considered surveys unless they include nonessential assessment, feedback, opinion, climate, or evaluation questions.
• Is the information you want to collect already available? Are you searching for data in student or employee records? Is there another institutional survey that has already gathered or will gather the data you need? If you’re unsure whether the data you are looking for already exists, reach out to the ISRC committee with your questions.
• Is a survey the right method for collecting data? There are several common ways to gather information from students, faculty, and staff. Have you considered focus groups, listening sessions, or in-person interviews? Depending on what you want to achieve, these options might be more appropriate and efficient.
• Does your unit have the expertise and capacity to design, administer, analyze, and report survey results? There is a scientific basis behind survey design and administration, as well as the expertise needed to properly interpret survey responses and draw meaningful conclusions. There are resources on campus to help you, including the UW Survey Center (UWSC).
• Do you have clear goals and a plan for how you will use the results? What do you want to learn, about whom, and how will the survey results affect your unit’s operations? Is your leadership committed to using and sharing the results?
• How will you define your target population? You will need to identify the exact target population—such as all undergraduates, specific program graduate students, staff, division employees, or event participants—to determine who should be invited, ensure the right people are reached, and interpret results appropriately. A clear target helps compare respondents with the full population on characteristics like role, academic level, or demographics, to assess representativeness or potential biases. Without a defined target, it’s unclear what the results represent or if biases exist.
• How will you obtain contact information? Some surveys use predefined email lists to invite participants, but it is common that you will need to obtain and compile contact information to field your survey. When a list must be created, additional care is needed to ensure that the source of contact information is authorized, complete, accurate, and consistent with privacy, data governance, and institutional policies. Consult the Office of the Registrar and the Office of Human Resources for more information.
• Will you survey everyone or a subset? For large populations, random sampling is generally preferred when the goal is to estimate overall attitudes, experiences, behaviors, or needs. Sampling reduces respondent burden, limits survey fatigue, and, when designed appropriately, can produce high-quality evidence. Census surveys, in which all eligible people are invited, should be reserved for situations where broad participation is necessary, such as when results must be reported for small subgroups or units, when the population is small, when participation is part of the institutional process, or when external requirements call for inviting all eligible individuals. A census survey design does not, by itself, guarantee representative results; sponsors must still address response rates and nonresponse bias.
• How will you handle identifiable information? Transparency with potential survey participants about whether their responses could be identifiable is a critical element of informed consent. In practice, the terms Anonymous and Confidential are sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably.
  • Anonymous means that no direct identifiers are collected, and the survey team cannot readily link responses to a person, either directly or through a code key or similar linkage.
  • Confidential means the survey team knows who participated or could link responses to participants, but promises to limit access, protect the data, and not disclose identities except as described.