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The Complete Guide to Writing Questionnaires: How to Get Better Information for Better Decisions Paperback – May 5, 2014

by David F. Harris (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 45 ratings
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This book is a user-friendly, comprehensive guide for planning and writing questionnaires for survey research. It includes specific guidelines on how to make questions clear, answerable, easy and unbiased. It also has guidelines on how to ask people to select from a list, rate things on a scale, and answer open-ended questions. It also has a review of how to properly pretest a questionnaire, commonly known as cognitive interviewing.
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  1. Print length
    232 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 5, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    7 x 0.53 x 10 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0615917674
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0615917672
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Successful research is as much about how we frame the questions as it is about how we interpret the answers. This methodologically sound yet pragmatic guide to questionnaire design fills a critical void for business professionals who understand the need to get things right at both ends of the survey. It restores the ‘art of the ask’ to its proper place in the hunt for critical customer insight.”
--Susan Schwartz McDonald, Ph.D., President and CEO, National Analysts Worldwide

“An extremely helpful guide for anyone faced with the challenge of conceptualizing, developing, and testing a survey questionnaire. If you don’t know where to begin, or the steps involved, Harris illuminates the path.”
--Gordon Willis, Ph.D., author of Cognitive Interviewing: A Tool For Improving Questionnaire Design

“You are crazy to write a questionnaire without reading this book first. And who knew a book about gathering data could be so much fun to read? You’ll buy it for the practical value of getting questionnaires right, but along the way you’ll absorb a lot of fascinating lessons about psychology and logical thinking.”
--Dan Heath, co-author of the New York Times bestsellers Made to Stick, Switch, and Decisive

“Developing a good questionnaire is not as simple as is often assumed. There are many ways in which answers to questions can be biased or confused by naive investigators. Harris has provided a comprehensive treatment of the many practical issues that arise and need to be kept in mind when preparing questions for a wide range of uses. This book is clearly based on a great deal of personal experience, as well as informed by the work of others who have studied the complexities of the question-answer process—whatever one’s goals.”
--Howard Schuman, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Research Scientist, Emeritus, at the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center

“This book provides an accessible and thorough narrative into the world of questionnaire design. Practitioners, teachers, and researchers in a wide variety of fields will find it indispensable for their survey work.”
--Michelle Janning, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Whitman College

“This is an outstanding and much-needed resource for anyone who needs to gather information or make decisions based on data—in other words, nearly everyone.” --Tracy Carlson, author of What Great Brands Know

About the Author

David F. Harris is a leader in the field of questionnaire design and qualitative research. He received his B.A. from Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, and his M.A. in Quantitative Psychology from the prestigious L. L. Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is committed to supporting better decision-making for organizations of all kinds through the application of sound and thoughtful research.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ I&M Press; First Edition (May 5, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0615917674
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0615917672
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.53 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

About the author

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David F. Harris

David F. Harris

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David F. Harris is a leader in the field of questionnaire design and qualitative research. He received his B.A. from Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, and his M.A. in Quantitative Psychology from the prestigious L. L. Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is committed to supporting better decision-making for organizations of all kinds through the application of sound and thoughtful research.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
45 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book to be a thorough guide to writing questionnaires, with many noting it's full of examples and one mentioning it's free of academic jargon. The book receives positive feedback for its pacing, with customers describing it as very well written. They also consider it good value for money, with one customer noting it's a steal at $40.

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10 customers mention "Knowledge"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative and comprehensive, with examples throughout, and one customer notes it is free of academic jargon.

"...; David's understanding of semantics and the psychology behind questionnaires is profound, and that knowledge is captured and evident throughout..." Read more

"...David's simple framework of making questions clear, answerable, easy, and unbiased will save you tons of time and help you make better decisions...." Read more

"...but it covers topics from the beginning of one's thoughts, though approaches to questions, all the way through planning your analysis - and the..." Read more

"...know of another book on questionnaires that has such a comprehensive list of guidelines...." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book valuable, with one mentioning it's a steal at $40.

"...This information is a steal at $40 bucks!" Read more

"...Definitely worth it!" Read more

"A very useful book to understand how to draft a questionnaire without "missing" on important aspects needed for the analysis and the..." Read more

"Good book, has a nice selection of different types of questionnaires/surveys." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book well-written, with one customer describing it as a readable guide to writing questionnaires.

"...And very refreshingly, it's well-written and free of the academic jargon that makes your eyes glaze over." Read more

"...This book is outstanding for writing questionnaires that clearly address the questions you are most interested in answering. And isn't that the point?" Read more

"...This is a very readable book as well. It is filled with "before and after" examples of how to improve questions." Read more

"Easy read, very well written." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • R. Manning
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Book That's Been Needed For Quite A While
    Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Disclaimer: I know the author personally and have worked with him on many occasions

    While the above disclaimer might lead you to think I'm favorably biased toward David's book (I probably am), I can nevertheless impart some insights that will hopefully show the importance of it. My professional field is quantitative analysis, not qualitative, which can put me at the mercy of poorly worded questionnaires. I can think of instances where we engaged the services of high-end consultants (Ph.D.s all around), who would in the course of their work develop a questionnaire. Fortunately for us, before the surveys went out we would pass the draft questionnaire along to David for review. Simply put, he was able to save us from wasting money by pointing out the flaws in the draft and working with the consultants (who were invariably blown away by his expertise) to fix things.

    The flaws we encountered in real life are exactly the things covered so extensively and so well in the book, things like, "You think you're asking this question but the respondent will interpret it differently", and "What's the unit of measurement: percentage, number, etc.", and "You're really asking two different questions, not one." David's understanding of semantics and the psychology behind questionnaires is profound, and that knowledge is captured and evident throughout the book. What makes it so useful is it's all real-world stuff.

    If you're going to spend your time putting together a questionnaire or spend money getting someone else to do it, make sure it's done right! This book is far and away the best resource to help you accomplish that goal. And very refreshingly, it's well-written and free of the academic jargon that makes your eyes glaze over.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Michael Sabatino, CFP®
    5.0 out of 5 stars easy, and unbiased will save you tons of time ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this book based on the recommendation of Stanford professor, Chip Heath (author of Made to Stick). I was tasked with a project that involved surveying employees of a large corporation on their satisfaction related to their financial wellness. I'm a financial planner and have no survey design experience and needed help fast! This book helped me engage employees at a much higher level than I could have ever imagined. David's simple framework of making questions clear, answerable, easy, and unbiased will save you tons of time and help you make better decisions. The book is full of examples that make it a fun read. This information is a steal at $40 bucks!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Hank S from NJ
    5.0 out of 5 stars Truly practical book on the full questionnaire process
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I think it was Mark Twain who wrote, "I am sorry I did not have enough time to write succinctly". David Harris wrote this book succinctly. Just over 200 pages but it covers topics from the beginning of one's thoughts, though approaches to questions, all the way through planning your analysis - and the survey creation process all the way through launch.

    Although it is officially targeted to Market Researchers, I think it is for anyone who wants bottom line guidance on the questionnaire creation and analysis process. What's missing is underlying theory, but academics don't need theory when they're putting together surveys that will impact decisions.

    The new $54 price seems high, but if you value your time I expect you'll still feel value for the money.
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  • A. Truesdale
    4.0 out of 5 stars A thorough and readable guide to writing questionnaires
    Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book to be a well-written and thorough guide to writing questionnaires. I don't know of another book on questionnaires that has such a comprehensive list of guidelines. I liked the way the author presents actual questions from questionnaires and shows how two people can interpret the question differently. He then goes on to present the guideline that you need to follow to avoid the ambiguity in the original question. This book is outstanding for writing questionnaires that clearly address the questions you are most interested in answering. And isn't that the point?
    One person found this helpful
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  • Jason
    5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT Book
    Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I've looked for books on this topic before, but they were mostly for academics. I can't recommend this book enough because it is for market research professionals. As a corporate researcher, questionnaire writing isn't something I normally think about. After reading this book, I can tell that many research suppliers aren't thinking about it either. Do yourself and your company a favor and learn this information.

    This is a very readable book as well. It is filled with "before and after" examples of how to improve questions.
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  • Jamie
    5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT guide to anyone who wants some more information about ...
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A GREAT guide to anyone who wants some more information about writing surveys. I found this book to be clear, easy to understand, and very practical and with tons of great examples. I was worried this book might be too overly academic and not as much of a "real-world" guide, but it was the exact opposite. I highly recommend!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Sue
    5.0 out of 5 stars Easily understood/Perfectly presented - A great resource overall
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I haven't completely finished reading this book yet, but I must say that what I've read so far is very informative. I also find that it is presented in a way that is easily understood. I have already found myself thinking differently when it comes to survey creation, and the prep work that goes into it. Definitely worth it!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Avidreader
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful book to understand how to draft a questionnaire without ...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A very useful book to understand how to draft a questionnaire without "missing" on important aspects needed for the analysis and the consequent decision-making. This guide helped me a lot. Highly recommended.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • mr james
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well organised, sensible and thoroughly practical ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is a tremendously well organised and sensible guide to developing questionnaires.
    The author nails his colours to the mast early on (p.10): "The questionnaire, which is the primary subject of this book, is a quantitative instrument and simply cannot be used to get information that is inherently qualitative." He thereafter maps out an extremely practical step by step approach to obtaining reliable and useful research results in a manner consistent with that initial premise.
    Each step is associated with a number of specific guidelines (or protocols) for that step. Compliance with the all the guidelines covering a particular step should ensure that the underlying goal is achieved; both for the step, and eventually, for the entire process of designing and writing the questionnaire.
    My biggest gripe is that -- so far, at least -- there is no Kindle or e-book edition of the text available. The author and publishers should be encouraged to make one available at the earliest opportunity.
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  • ajvphilp
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 23, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    very practically useful
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  • Natali M
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not for academic use
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I expected for more academic use.
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