How to Design and Validate A Questionnaire: A Guide

Abstract

Background: A questionnaire is a commonly used data collection method and is a very crucial part of the research. However, designing a questionnaire can be a daunting task for postgraduate students.

Methods: This manuscript illustrates the various steps required in questionnaire designing and provides an insight into the essentials of questionnaire construction and validation. Data from a questionnaire should be able to comprehend the objectives of the study; else it may lead to wrong interpretation or bias, decreased power of study and inability to generalize the study results.

Conclusion: Since it is equally important to verify the usefulness of the designed questionnaire, the article briefly describes the process of psychometric evaluation of a questionnaire.

Keywords: Questionnaire validation; WOMAC; pragmatic research; psychometric assessment; questionnaire designing; validity..