Survey & research glossary
Plain-language definitions for the terms you'll run into designing and analyzing surveys.
Randomization
Presenting questions or answer options in a different order to each respondent, to reduce bias caused by position (such as always picking the first option).
Ranking question
A question that asks respondents to order a list of items by preference, rather than rating each one independently.
Rating scale
A question type where respondents pick a point on a numeric or star scale to express intensity of opinion, such as 1-5 or 1-10.
Reliability
Whether a survey question or scale produces consistent results when repeated under the same conditions.
Representative sample
A sample whose composition mirrors the population it's drawn from closely enough that its results can be generalized with confidence.
Response bias
A tendency for respondents to answer inaccurately - due to social pressure, question wording, or a desire to appear a certain way - rather than giving their true view.
Response credit
A prepaid unit that a pay-per-response survey consumes once per completed response, instead of drawing against a subscription's monthly response limit.
Response rate
How many of the people you invited actually took part in your survey, most commonly measured as completion rate.
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Terms such as anonymous, representative, significant, confidential, compliant, and secure carry specific expectations. Use them only when your survey method and implementation actually support the claim.
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