The document outlines the fundamentals of creating effective research questionnaires, emphasizing their purpose in gathering essential information for scientific studies. It details the criteria for a good questionnaire, including clarity, specificity, and focus, as well as steps for design, such as defining objectives, targeting respondents, and piloting the questions. References for further reading on the topic are also provided.

1. “Fundamentals of Scientific Researches”
Dr. Rajaa A. Mahmoud
MBChB, DCM, MPH, PhD
raja.mohmoud@uobasrah.edu.iq
Designing a
Research
Questionnaire

2. Learning Objectives
By the end of the session, You’ll be able to know:
What is a questionnaire?
Criteria of a good questionnaire
Steps of designing
a good questionnaire

3. What is a questionnaire?
“A questionnaire is a set of written questions
designed to gather information about the
opinions, preferences, experiences, intentions, and
behavior of individuals and can be derived for the
purposes of a scientific study”.

4. Criteria of a good questionnaire
Well-designed questionnaire is highly structured to:
 Allow the same types of information to be
collected from a large number of respondents in
the same way
 For data to be analyzed quantitatively.

5. Criteria of a good questionnaire
1. Language must be clear.
2. Content of the question must be specific
3. Each question shows a single purpose.
4. No assumptions OR suggestions are linked to the
questions.

6. Steps of designing a good questionnaire
1. Identify your research aims and the goal of your
questionnaire
What kind of information do you want to gather with
your questionnaire?
What is your main objective?
Already existing questionnaires?

7. 2. Define your target respondents
 Children, adults, women…ect (with
specifications)
 You can’t test everyone – Representative
Sample.
Steps of designing a good questionnaire

8. 3. Develop questions
 Smart questions (phrased in a way that
prevents any misunderstanding/ ambiguitie).
 Avoid long questionnaires with a huge
amount of questions in small paper&
complicated phrasing.
 Avoid jargons.
Steps of designing a good questionnaire

9. 4. Choose your question type:
 Closed /Opened
 Quantitative/Qualitative
Steps of designing a good questionnaire

10. 5. Design question sequence and overall layout
 From one question to the next?
 Any skip-rules?
Steps of designing a good questionnaire

11. 6. Pilot it.
 Identify issues in readability & understanding,
in timing, phrasing and overall arrangement.
 Statistical evaluation of the data.
Steps of designing a good questionnaire

12. References
1. Gault, R. (1907). A History of the Questionnaire
Method of Research in Psychology. The Pedagogical
Seminary, 14(3), 366-383.
2. June Bars. Criteria for a good questionnaire. Slide
share-2022
3. Bryn Farnsworth. How to Design a Questionnaire.
Umea University . 2021