Qualtrics Survey Hosting - Getting Started

This document provides tips for getting started with Qualtrics.

Log-In

Go to the UW-Madison Qualtrics Service log-in page and enter your NetID and password. If you are using the Survey Service for the first time, an account will automatically be created for you.

Survey Resources

Qualtrics Survey Support has numerous resources including online tutorials, research articles and information about survey design. They also have over 300 sample surveys that can be used "out of the box" or questions can be copied and pasted into a custom survey created by you. Visit the Qualtrics Survey Hosting - Survey Resources page for more information.

UW-Madison Compliance

Some surveys may be considered human subject research and require Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval prior to the initiation of the survey. In general, if your survey data is only being collected for a class project, quality improvement project, departmental evaluation, or social use, IRB approval may not be needed. However, if this survey is for a research project (1) involving a systematic investigation with (2) the goal of creating generalizable knowledge (i.e,. being able to apply the data to a broader population and plan to publish or present the findings), IRB approval may be required. Please contact the UW Institutional Review Board (IRB) for specific information.

Use of the survey service is subject to the same policies and guidelines for the use of UW-Madison computing resources as other services on campus. Please refer to the Qualtrics Survey Hosting - Terms of Service for more information.

Simple Basic Steps

Developing a survey that will yield relevant results involves a number of important steps:

  1. Understand and clearly articulate your objective.
  2. Assess the type of information you will need to collect and its relevant importance.
  3. Determine the type of question that is needed to optimally obtain information required.
  4. Write, review and test your questions.
  5. Do a "dry run" of the survey to determine how long it takes to complete and collect feedback.
  6. Revise your survey if necessary.
  7. Execute the survey.
  8. Collect the data.
  9. Analyze your results.

For more information about developing a survey that will meet your needs, including how to construct the survey, write questions, collect the data and analyze the results, review the Qualtrics Support - Survey Basics.