Library

Survey Instrument Library

Scales and modules that other researchers have already tested, so you can start from a measure with a published track record instead of writing every question yourself. Each entry gives the source to cite, what the instrument measures, its length and recall period, and the thing that most often goes wrong when it is fielded.

To write your own questions, the Designing a Survey Instrument Practice Pack and the Survey Design Lab teach that from scratch.

Before you field any of these

  1. A scale validated elsewhere is a starting point. Check whether a validation exists for your language and population, and whether its cut-off scores were set there or borrowed.
  2. Translate forward and back, reconcile the two with a bilingual reviewer, then run cognitive interviews with a handful of respondents before the pilot.
  3. Keep the recall period exactly as published. Changing "the last two weeks" to "the last month" changes the instrument.
  4. Several mental health scales ask about self-harm. Agree a referral route and train enumerators on it before the first interview.
  5. Read the licence on the official page. Most entries here are free for non-commercial use; some ask you to register or not to alter the wording.