Proper Applications for Surveys as a Study Methodology

A survey instrument is any series of pre-defined questions intended to collect information from people, whether in person, by Internet, or any other media.1,2 Surveys are ubiquitous in health professions education research, used in approximately half of recently published articles,3 likely because of their low cost, relative speed, and (often misguided) perception that they are simple to use. A survey instrument is merely the tool used for survey methodology, which encompasses the entire application of the survey instrument, such as selecting a sampling frame, maximizing the response rate, and accounting for nonresponse bias.4 The distinction is important because survey methodology is a research method like any of the various other methodology options (e.g. observational cohorts and randomized controlled trials), and there are specific situations for which a particular method is indicated or contraindicated. The goal of this article is to provide guidance to researchers about when a survey is the appropriate methodology for a given research question. The importance of methodology choice is second only to choosing the primary research question itself. For comprehensive survey methodology reviews, readers are encouraged to review dedicated references.1,2,5 The rest of this article will address the fundamental question: When should I use a new survey?