How to Conduct Surveys: A Step-by-Step Guide

by Arlene Fink

The Fifth Edition of Arlene Fink′s best-selling How to Conduct Surveys guides readers through the process of developing their own rigorous surveys and evaluating the credibility of surveys created by others. Offering practical, step-by-step advice and written in the same clear and accessible style as her other works, author Arlene Fink centers her guidance on choosing the appropriate type of survey, writing survey questions and responses, formatting the survey, deciding on the characteristics and numbers of respondents to include, determining the frequency of surveying respondents, and analyzing and reporting the results. The Fifth Edition pays particular attention to the internet and online surveys, considering best practices and techniques for developing a thorough and effective survey.

Genres: Nonfiction, Research, School

200 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1985

About the author

Arlene Fink (Ph.D.) is Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, and president of the Langley Research Institute. Her main interests include evaluation and survey research and the conduct of research literature reviews as well as the evaluation of their quality. Dr. Fink has conducted scores of literature reviews and evaluation studies in public health, medicine, and education. She is on the faculty of UCLA's Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and is a scientific and evaluation advisor to UCLA's Gambling Studies and IMPACT (Improving Access, Counseling & Treatment for Californians with Prostate Cancer) programs. She consults nationally and internationally for agencies such as L'institut de Promotion del la Prevention Secondaire en Addictologie (IPPSA) in Paris, France, and Peninsula Health in Victoria, Australia. Professor Fink has taught and lectured extensively all over the world and is the author of over 135 peer-reviewed articles and 15 textbooks.

Reviews

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for EdD program. I actually really enjoyed this one! It was organized well and written in a manner that was easy to understand. It included many breakdowns and guidelines that I expect to refer back to both as I write my dissertation and present or publish in my profession. I recommend this to anyone getting ready for a major research project!

[Ed Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A textbook for a grad level research methods class. As texts go, it is pretty good - plenty of checklists and examples, and written in plain English. It’s likely to stay in the library after the course ends. Short, easy to read and good reference. Not much more to ask for in a textbook.

[Abdullah Alhaidari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and practical with many examples. This is a good introduction to those who never conducted a survey. It is also a good read for beginners who want to learn a bit more about this topic.

[Taylor Piva · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the book is dry in its presentation, the content is a great introduction to conducting surveys. The information is very rudimentary, so it is ideal for beginners.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textbook for a one-credit class I'm taking this semester. It's fine.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 4th edition for a stats class in school and I found the information to be very helpful and very detailed. If this is your first experience in creating a survey I would use other resources as well because this book is in so much detail it can be very dry at times.

[Ali Crain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic information. Great for anyone who has never conducted a survey.