Survey Data Quality Checks

Data quality is part of survey design. In academic survey software, quality checks should be built into the instrument, flow, publishing process, and export review before live collection begins.

1. Step 1: Review Block Builder. Check wording, required questions, validation rules, attention checks, and any respondent-facing instructions.

   Step 1: Review Block Builder

   Survey Editor

   No-persist demo using the real builder shell.

   Add a Block

   Add BlockPull Blocks

   Trash0 items

   Trash is empty.

2. Step 2: Review Flow. Confirm screeners, experimental paths, quota-full routes, and end screens work as intended.

   Step 2: Review Flow

   Block Builder

   Flow

   Preview

   Deploy

   Export

   Flow Canvas

   Interactive routing surface from the app, running in no-persist help mode.

   Consent and Study Intro

   1 question

   Political Knowledge Block

   2 questions

   Control Message

   1 question

   Treatment Message

   1 question

   Outcome Measures

   2 questions

   Survey Ends

   Anchors explicit end of survey

3. Step 3: Review Deploy. Check public link settings, quotas, reCAPTCHA, and launch readiness.

   Step 3: Review Deploy

   Block Builder

   Flow

   Preview

   Deploy

   Export

   Deploy

   Configure publishing, links, quotas, and theme from the Deploy tab.

4. Step 4: Use Preview. Complete the survey with realistic answers for every major path using the pilot testing workflow.

   Step 4: Use Preview

   Block Builder

   Flow

   Preview

   Deploy

   Export

   Preview

   Walk through respondent-facing behavior in the same preview surface.

5. Step 5: Inspect Export. Submit test responses and confirm variables and recodes, conditions, and randomized order fields are present.

   Step 5: Inspect Export

   Block Builder

   Flow

   Preview

   Deploy

   Export

   Export

   Download analysis-ready response data from the Export tab.

6. Step 6: Fix and repeat. Re-run the quality pass after any change to wording, Flow, quotas, validation, or response options.

   Step 6: Fix and Repeat

   Survey Editor

   No-persist demo using the real builder shell.

   Add a Block

   Add BlockPull Blocks

   Trash0 items

   Trash is empty.

• Eligibility screeners: keep the target population clear.
• Required questions: prevent missing values where an answer is essential.
• Validation rules: keep numeric and text answers in the expected format.
• Attention checks: identify careless responses when your protocol allows them.
• reCAPTCHA: reduce automated responses on public survey links.
• Pilot testing: catch confusing wording and broken paths before launch.

For experimental studies, add manipulation checks and comprehension checks that match the treatment design. See Attention and Manipulation Checks.

Broken routing can damage data quality as much as bad wording. Preview every path, especially eligibility exits, experimental conditions, and quota-full screens. If quotas affect routing, confirm the quota status variable behaves as expected.

Submit test responses and inspect the export before publishing. Confirm that variables, recodes, condition assignments, and randomized order fields are present when needed.

• Preview and Pilot Test a Survey
• reCAPTCHA Survey Verification
• Short Answer Survey Questions
• Export Research Survey Responses