Instruction Sheet
Formatting Questionnaires for Online Submission
In order to streamline the online questionnaire development process can you please ensure
that you follow the instructions below. Once you have completed the steps below please send
your questionnaire (in the format described below) to Luke Barisic.
1.Questionnaires should be sent in Word Document format or something similar (no PDFs
please!).
2. Please make sure you proofread all of your instructions to remove ‘paper-and-pencil’ terms
and replace them with ‘online-friendly’ terms. Here are some examples:
Paper-And-Pencil
Online
“Please circle...”
“Please select...”
“Please write...”
“Please type...”
“Place a cross in the box...”
“Click on the box...”
3. Please also remember to proofread your Plain Language Statement for paper-and-pencil
terms, as online questionnaire responses are generally not returned to you “in a reply paid
envelope”.
4. Most scales are formatted to ‘look pretty’ when printed on paper. They are not optimally
designed to be converted into online questionnaires. I generally perform bulk copy and pastes
of these scales when editing for the web. This is for two reasons:
i. It saves time.
ii. It also ensures that questionnaire items are reproduced verbatim (as my spudfingers are
prone to typos)
5. Please edit any scales to remove existing formatting, including tables, bullet points,
indenting, repetition of scale headers and response options etc., as these all interfere
with performing clean copy-and-pastes. I have provided an example below using the
DASS21 (a commonly used scale).
6. Please also try to minimise formatting with other question types (e.g. demographic questions,
non-scale items). For questions with multiple response options, first list the question and then
start each response on a new line directly below the question.
Example (Scales)
Original DASS21:
DASS21
Name:
Date:
Please read each statement and circle a number 0, 1, 2 or 3 which indicates how much the statement
applied to you over the past week. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much time
on any statement.
The rating scale is as follows:
0
1
2
3
Did not apply to me at all
Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time
Applied to me to a considerable degree, or a good part of time
Applied to me very much, or most of the time
1
I found it hard to wind down
0
1
2
3
2
I was aware of dryness of my mouth
0
1
2
3
3
I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all
0
1
2
3
4
I experienced breathing difficulty (eg, excessively rapid breathing,
breathlessness in the absence of physical exertion)
0
1
2
3
5
I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things
0
1
2
3
6
I tended to over-react to situations
0
1
2
3
7
I experienced trembling (eg, in the hands)
0
1
2
3
8
I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy
0
1
2
3
9
I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make
a fool of myself
0
1
2
3
10
I felt that I had nothing to look forward to
0
1
2
3
11
I found myself getting agitated
0
1
2
3
12
I found it difficult to relax
0
1
2
3
13
I felt down-hearted and blue
0
1
2
3
14
I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with
what I was doing
0
1
2
3
15
I felt I was close to panic
0
1
2
3
16
I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything
0
1
2
3
17
I felt I wasn't worth much as a person
0
1
2
3
18
I felt that I was rather touchy
0
1
2
3
19
I was aware of the action of my heart in the absence of physical
exertion (eg, sense of heart rate increase, heart missing a beat)
0
1
2
3
20
I felt scared without any good reason
0
1
2
3
21
I felt that life was meaningless
0
1
2
3
Reformatted DASS 21:
Instructions:
Please read each statement and select a number 0, 1, 2 or 3 which indicates how much the
statement applied to you over the past week. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not
spend too much time on any statement. The rating scale is as follows:
Scale:
0
1
2
3
Did not apply to me at all
Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time
Applied to me to a considerable degree, or a good part of time
Applied to me very much, or most of the time
Items:
1. I found it hard to wind down.
2. I was aware of dryness of my mouth.
3. I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all.
4. I experienced breathing difficulty (eg, excessively rapid breathing, breathlessness in the
absence of physical exertion).
5. I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things.
6. I tended to over-react to situations.
7. I experienced trembling (eg, in the hands).
8. I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy.
9. I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool of myself.
10. I felt that I had nothing to look forward to.
11. I found myself getting agitated.
12. I found it difficult to relax.
13. I felt down-hearted and blue.
14. I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing.
15. I felt I was close to panic.
16. I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything.
17. I felt I wasn't worth much as a person.
18. I felt that I was rather touchy.
19. I was aware of the action of my heart in the absence of physical exertion (eg, sense of heart
rate increase, heart missing a beat).
20. I felt scared without any good reason.
21. I felt that life was meaningless.
As you can see, I have eliminated all tables and formatting and I have not repeated the
rating scale after each question. The items are numbered, but not by using bullets or
numbering formatting in Word. I have also modified paper and pencil terms (e.g. ‘circle’)
to more online-friendly terms (e.g. ‘select’).