Take a look inside the course

    1. Getting Ready to Rock!

    1. Lesson Plan

    2. Foundations [Video Lesson]

    3. Foundations [Slide Viewer]

    4. Foundations [Slide File Download]

    5. Project Documentation [Downloadable Job Aid]

    6. Elements of a Good Qre [Downloadable Job Aid]

    7. Mode of Survey Taking Matters [Downloadable Job Aid]

    8. Survey Frequency Influences Design [Downloadable Job Aid]

    9. B2B Considerations for Qre Design [Downloadable Job Aid]

    10. Use this DAP for Quiz A

    11. Quiz A: Choose Questions to Fit the DAP [Action Required]

    12. Quiz B: Question & Data Types [Action Required]

    1. Lesson Plan

    2. All About Scales: A [Video Lesson]

    3. All About Scales: A [Slide Viewer]

    4. All About Scales: A [Slide File Download]

    5. All About Scales: B [Video Lesson]

    6. All About Scales: B [Slide Viewer]

    7. All About Scales: B [Slide File Download]

    8. Scale Decisions Checklist [Downloadable Job Aid]

    9. Checkpoint A: Definitions Review [Action Required]

    10. Checkpoint B: Using Mid-Points: Read and Respond [Action Required]

    1. Lesson Plan

    2. Data Quality Issues [Video Lesson]

    3. Data Quality Issues [Slide Viewer]

    4. Data Quality Issues [Slide File Download]

    5. Where Survey Errors Come From [Downloadable Job Aid]

    6. Tips to Avoid Six Common Errors [ Downloadable Job Aid]

    7. Checkpoint C: All About Response Error [Action Required]

    8. Checkpoint D: Rewriting Agreement Scales: Read and Respond [Action Required]

    1. Lesson Plan

    2. Wrapping It Up [Video Lesson]

    3. Wrapping It Up [Slide Viewer]

    4. Wrapping It Up [Slide File Download]

    5. Final Checks Before Soft Launch [Downloadable Job Aid]

    6. Checkpoint E: Finalizing & Reviewing Questionnaires [Action Required]

    1. Recommended Reading & Viewing

    2. Chapter 6 from The Complete Guide to Writing Questionnaires

    3. Standard Survey Scales - Examples

    4. Data Analysis Plan Example A

    5. Survey Length Planning

    6. Common Rating Scales in Questionnaire Design

    7. Final Checks Before Programming

About this course

  • 45 lessons
  • 0.5 hours of video content

What you’ll learn in this course

Course Overview

Market Researchers with some survey design experience quickly learn that scale choices are a critical part of the process. The choice, wording and formatting of different scales can have a huge impact on a project’s success.

  • Are the scales too complicated?
  • Are they precise enough to yield actionable information?
  • Will they encourage honest, candid responses?

Survey research has many forms of risk. Social desirability issues, acquiescence bias, extreme response bias, and even just boredom, are all issues. Learn to mitigate the risks by being aware of many scale options, wording choices, and formatting tips.

In this 4-part program, Instructor Amy Anderson covers various ranking and rating scales, including Likert, semantic differential, constant sum, and more. The class also delves into decisions related to the choice of even versus odd scales, number of points (5? 7? 10? 11?), and related topics. Instructor Amy will also cover scale selection considerations for both online and telephone data collection. 

By the end of this course, you will:

  • Understand the criteria for selecting scales
  • Choose the best scale type and labeling for different measurement needs
  • Avoid common questionnaire design errors
  • Identify alternatives for cases where standard scales may be inadequate 

As a student, you get lots of helpful videos, readings and reference material.


Meet Your Instructor

Amy Anderson

Owner of Solutions Through Research

Amy is the primary research strategist & analyst at Solutions Through Research, LLC which she founded in 2012. In this role, she supports and leads research strategies for a variety of businesses, both B2C and B2B. Amy also regularly works with research firms to fill workstream gaps and has had the pleasure of working on hundreds of studies over the years, both qualitative and quantitative in nature. Prior to Solutions Through Research, Amy was a client-side researcher with Gannett, Inc. (owner of USA Today and many U.S. newspaper/website brands). Her client-side career spanned 11+ years. Amy is a certified insights professional (IPC) through the Insights Association and is a member of QRCA, ASA, and AMA. She earned a B.A. in rhetoric from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign as well as certificates in market research from the University of Georgia and geographic information science & technology from the University of Southern California.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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