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One of the most underrated aspects of survey questionnaire design and form development is the naming of variables. For many survey practitioners it might just be an afterthought, yet to me it is one of the fundamentals that separate well-designed and thoughtful surveys from mere data collection exercises. In the same way a good carpenter will put equal attention, detail and effort into the hidden parts of a well-designed cabinet — such as the joints, hinges and interior finishes — a good survey practitioner should spend considerable thought on the variable naming conventions in a questionnaire.
'''Variable names''' are one of the most important aspects of [[Questionnaire Design|questionnaire design]]. Properly named variables improve the quality of [[Primary Data Collection|data collection]] by giving members of the [[Impact Evaluation Team|research team]] useful insights into the information captured by each variable. Using good naming conventions for variables allows others who are using the data to not only understand the purpose of the variable, but also its type (such as integer, date, string).  
 
== Read First ==  
== Read First ==  
 
* [[Questionnaire Design|Questionnaire design]] is an important aspect of [[Primary Data Collection|primary data collection]].
== Overview ==
* Well designed questionnaires improve the quality of data collection, as well as the subsequent [[Data Analysis|data analysis]].
 
* The [Impact Evaluation Team|research team]] should therefore spend considerable amount of time thinking about the different ways in which the dataset can be used for [[Data Analysis|analysis]].
* Proper '''variable names''' make it easier for others to use and analyze the dataset at later stages.
== Conventions ==
== Conventions ==


Revision as of 14:17, 18 February 2021

Variable names are one of the most important aspects of questionnaire design. Properly named variables improve the quality of data collection by giving members of the research team useful insights into the information captured by each variable. Using good naming conventions for variables allows others who are using the data to not only understand the purpose of the variable, but also its type (such as integer, date, string).

Read First

  • Questionnaire design is an important aspect of primary data collection.
  • Well designed questionnaires improve the quality of data collection, as well as the subsequent data analysis.
  • The [Impact Evaluation Team|research team]] should therefore spend considerable amount of time thinking about the different ways in which the dataset can be used for analysis.
  • Proper variable names make it easier for others to use and analyze the dataset at later stages.

Conventions

Related Pages

Additional Resources

https://medium.com/@janschenk/variable-names-in-survey-research-a18429d2d4d8

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