Survey Study Design Checklist for Students
Plan a small survey that can answer the question.
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[VERIFY] is an editorial flag, not a blank to fill. Wherever the prompt shows [VERIFY], check that item against a reliable source before you use it.
Plan a survey study. Research question: [RESEARCH_QUESTION]. Population: [POPULATION]. Access to participants: [ACCESS]. Time: [TIME]. Cover sampling method and size with limits, question design, pilot testing, ethics approval, consent, data storage, analysis plan with the tests matched to the question, and how to report limitations. Provide a sample size estimate formula with an example and the caution that convenience samples cannot represent the population. Return a checklist, a timeline and a risk list. Ethical approval and data protection rules must be confirmed with my institution [VERIFY] before any data collection. Add a worked sample size illustration. For a proportion with 95 percent confidence and a margin of error of 5 percentage points, the common rule n = 1.96 squared times 0.25 divided by 0.05 squared gives about 385 respondents for a large population; with a margin of 10 points it is about 96. Replace with my values and confirm with a calculator [VERIFY]. Explain that convenience samples limit generalisation regardless of size. Add a pilot plan with five people and the questions to ask them about wording. Provide a checklist for the questionnaire: neutral wording, one idea per question, balanced scales, a not applicable option, sensitive questions optional, and logical order. Describe the consent text elements: purpose, voluntary participation, time needed, data use, anonymity or confidentiality, contact for questions, and the right to withdraw. Plan the data management: where data is stored, who has access, when it is deleted and how it is anonymised. Add an analysis plan outline matched to each research question, and a template for reporting response rate as completed divided by invited, with an example of 150 of 600 equals 25 percent. Include a timeline and a risk list, such as low response, with ways to improve it ethically. Add a final paragraph on limits: a student survey with a convenience sample can describe the people who responded but cannot be generalised to everyone, and the report should say so plainly.
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Invented plan: survey of first-year students about sleep and study. Sample size illustration: 95 percent confidence, 5-point margin: n = 1.96 squared x 0.25 / 0.05 squared = 0.9604 / 0.0025, about 385; with a 10-point margin about 96. Confirm with a calculator [VERIFY]. Pilot with 5 students; changed one unclear question. Response rate: 150 completed of 600 invited = 25 percent. Limit: a convenience sample cannot represent all students. Ethics approval and data storage plan confirmed with the institution before collecting data.
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