Survey Software Service
IRiSS is pleased to announce the pilot rollout of the Opinio online survey software allowing Social Science researchers to develop and distribute web-based surveys through one's own web browser. Surveys can contain standard web form ‘widgets’ such as radio buttons, check-boxes, drop-down menus, and free text boxes just to name a few, along with conditional (branching) logic and matrix quesition formats. Surveys can be multiple pages and can be access-controlled through passwords for greater security. Respondent access and invitations are controlled through a dedicated interface and reporting can be done either online, or raw data exported into common data formats for in-lab analysis.
Advantages to the Social Science researcher:
- Author and distribute surveys from any computer connected to the Internet
- Manage who is allowed access to the survey and the resulting data
- Get results back in real time
- Run summary statistics right from your web browser or export files in CSV format for use in your preferred statistics package
For more information on this pilot project for Social Science researchers or for information on how to deploy a survey, please complete an information form by clicking here. You will be contacted by IRiSS shortly.
We have chosen Opinio Survey Software for our pilot project as the most flexible software for our environment at Stanford. Here are some Frequently Asked Questions regarding this software:
Opinio Survey Software FAQ
Q. Who is eligible for this pilot program?
Q. What is Opinio and how does it work?
Q. Do I need to know how to program in some web programming language?
Q. Who can I send the surveys to once they are completed?
Q. What are the limits on surveys or respndents?
Q. What happens after respondents submit their responses?
Q. Can I bank questions for later use?
Q. What does it cost?
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Q. Who is eligible for this pilot program?
A. This pilot program is open to all Social Science faculty in the College of Humanities and Sciences. As the program grows we may consider broadening the scope of the service, however at this time resources limit us to a small pilot population.
Q. What is Opinio and how does it work?
A. Opinio is a software package that allows researchers to use nothing more than a web browser to author, deliver, and analyze a web-based survey. The software allows you to use standard and advanced web form elements to create quick to deploy surveys that are available to respondents immediately.
Q. Do I need to know how to program in some web programming language?
A. Not at all. Through your browser, you simply engage the web-based application by filling out some general information, then clicking on the type of questions you would like to add to your survey. You can add page breaks and images though the web interface, and even add any HTML element you are familiar with. To put together a simple survey all you need to know is how to click and type questions along with answer attributes.
Q. Who can I send the surveys to once they are completed?
A. Surveys can be sent to anyone with access to the web . You may even use security features to require respondents to use passwords to obtain access to the survey, thereby avoiding random and unwanted data entries. Closed surveys can be run through contact lists of respondents who are automatically mailed and reminded to complete surveys.
Q. What are the limits on surveys or respndents
A. Opinio allows for an unlimited number of surveys to be developed by a user, and allows an unlimited number of respondents per survey. Limitations are only imposed by the number of license seats available during the pilot. Regarding respondent access, surveys can be sent to both Stanford affiliates or can be sent out for anonymous response.
Q. What happens after respondents submit their responses?
A. Responses are stored in a secure database where reports can be run against them directly from a web browser. Additionally, data can be exported in SPSS, MS Excel, and CSV formats for import into your favorite analysis tool.
Q. Can I bank questions for later use?
A. Yes. Opinio allows for questions to be added to a question bank for later use. Question banks can be managed at the group/lab level, or can be developed by individual survey users.
A. The software is hosted by the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS). If you are interested in trying it out, please fill out the form linked from above or contact Vijoy Abraham (vijoy [at] stanford.edu) for more info.
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page last updated 18-Dec-2006
