Survey Software Options
There are several survey options for McMaster staff, students & faculty. The best option depends on needs & use:
| VPR-supported LimeSurvey | Microsoft Forms (McMaster-supported) | RedCap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best used for | Surveys that have complex conditions. | Simplified forms or surveys that don't require complex conditions or formatting. | Longitudinal research that requires following the same participants over a period of time. |
| Not ideal for | Longitudinal surveys (try RedCap) Personal health information (i.e., information that a health care professional would collect to identify an individual and determine appropriate care, such as a health identification number, medical history, test and laboratory results, health insurance information etc.). Faculty or student recruitment e.g. transcripts, letters of recommendation | Contact UTS to discuss | Contact CSU |
| Who has access | McMaster staff, students & faculty, and community members who are doing research with McMaster-affiliated people. | McMaster staff, students & faculty | McMaster staff, students & faculty |
| Cost | No cost for an account or requests for accounts or group collaboration Customized requests may be done on a fee-for-service basis to do work for groups who do not have an RHPCS support contract or who need work beyond the scope of their support contract. These jobs can only be undertaken when RHPCS staff are not fully occupied with regular support work, and are billed at a standard hourly rate. Standard Hourly Rate: $125 / hour | No cost | Contact CSU |
| MREB & HiREB approved templates | Yes | Not at this time | Contact CSU |
| Accessibility | Yes. Some resources: | Contact CSU | |
| Branching / Conditions |
| Limited | Contact CSU |
| Data stored on Canadian servers | Yes | Information on Security & Privacy in MS Forms. Contact UTS for more information. | Yes |
| Encryption of data | Yes | Information on Security & Privacy in MS Forms. Contact UTS for more information. | Contact CSU |
| Supported platforms | Any platform with a web browser. | Any platform with a web browser. | Contact CSU |
| Available for desktop & mobile | Yes | Yes | Contact CSU |
| Question Types | Arrays
Mask questions
Multiple choice questions
Single choice questions
Text questions
| See how to plan a survey and scroll down to "Types of survey questions and answers"
| Contact CSU |
| Number of responses | Unlimited | Form, question and responses limits Up to 50,000 per form | Contact CSU |
| Multilingual surveys | Yes:
| Yes: | Contact CSU |
| Survey collaboration | Yes via survey groups At this time, there are no restrictions based on institution / organization affiliation. | Anyone with an Office 365 work or school account, inside or outside of your organization can view and edit | Contact CSU |
| How to access | Login with your MacID & password to the McMaster Office Portal. | Contact CSU |