Survey Structure and Configuration

Overview

The left side of the Survey Designer contains the Survey Tree, which represents the structure of the survey and displays all chapters and questions in their hierarchical order.

At the top of the tree is the Survey node, which displays the survey name. To rename the survey, simply select this node and edit its text.

Below the survey node is the Root Chapter. The Root Chapter is automatically created for every survey and serves as the main parent container for all chapters and questions in the survey.

All survey content is stored under the Root Chapter, making it the highest-level chapter in the survey structure.

Important:

• Every survey contains a Root Chapter.

• The Root Chapter cannot be deleted.

• The Root Chapter cannot be moved.

• All chapters and questions must exist under the Root Chapter, either directly or through nested sub-chapters.

Understanding the Survey Tree and Root Chapter structure is essential for organizing survey content and building a clear, maintainable questionnaire hierarchy.

 

Root (Main Chapter) 

Questions/Nodes

Under the Root (Main Chapter) are the survey questions. 

• Each question has a:
•  type
• running index
• short ID
• body text.

 

Adding Questions to the Tree

To add a new question to the tree:

1. Select the question/chapter that comes BEFORE the new one.
2. Go to Question-> New -> in the menu and select the question type you want. 

Adding Chapters to the Tree

To add a new chapter to the tree:

1. Right click on the parent chapter.
2. Choose “Add sub-chapter”.

 

Question Type

The first tab when selecting a question is the View tab for configuring the question type.

Question Configuration Tabs

Question Tab

The Question tab is where you define and edit the question text that will be displayed to the respondent.

Answers Tab

The Answers tab is used to configure the available answer options for the question, including answer text, codes, and answer-specific settings.

Rules and Scripts Tabs

The Rules and Scripts tabs are used to implement survey logic and behavior.

Detailed information about these features is covered in the Survey Scripting Guide.

Common uses include:

• Determining whether a question should be displayed (Entrance Rules).

• Validating entered responses (Validation Rules).

• Redirecting respondents to different sections of the survey (Jump Rules).

• Dynamically showing or hiding answers.

• Modifying question text at runtime.

• Performing calculations or other custom actions before or after a question is answered.

Variables Tab

The Variables tab is used to configure the question's variable name.

Each question in a survey must have a unique variable name. When a new question is created, SurveyToGo automatically generates a default variable name. You may change this name to follow your project's naming conventions, provided that it remains unique within the survey.

Variable names are important because they:

• Identify questions within survey scripts.

• Can be used when referencing questions in logic and calculations.

• Become the field names used when exporting collected data.

Using clear and meaningful variable names can make survey development, maintenance, and data analysis significantly easier.

 

Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab contains additional question settings that control how the question behaves and is displayed during the interview.

This article does not cover every setting available in the Advanced tab, as each option is described in detail within the relevant question documentation. However, this tab includes many commonly used configuration options, such as:

• Question randomization settings.

• Answer and topic randomization settings.

• Optional question behavior.

• Display and layout options.

• Question-specific advanced properties.

• Other behavioral and presentation settings.

The Advanced tab is typically used to customize the respondent experience and fine-tune how a question functions within the survey.

Quality Control Tab

The Quality Control tab contains settings that help monitor and improve the quality of collected interviews.

From this tab, you can configure various quality assurance features used during data collection and review. These settings can help identify potential issues, enforce quality standards, and provide additional information for supervisors and quality control teams.

Depending on the question type and survey configuration, the Quality Control tab may include options related to interview monitoring, validation, recording, auditing, and other quality-control mechanisms designed to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the collected data.