Guide

Creating and running a Jisc Online Survey

Learn the different steps involved in creating, running, and accessing your survey.

Updated on 16 June 2025

If you're a student or staff member at the University of Dundee, you have free access to Jisc Online Surveys.

This guide will show you how to create and launch your survey once you've set up your Jisc account.

Draft your survey questions and response options

Start by drafting your survey questions and response options (where applicable), noting whether each question is required or optional.

Alternatively, you can create your survey directly in Jisc Online Surveys, adding questions, response options, and question settings as you go.

Inclusive practice: accessibility

It’s good practice to include an accessibility statement in a Note at the start of your survey.

Example

Accessibility

You can customise the text size/colour to meet your individual needs by using the accessibility features of your web browser. More information is available on the AbilityNet website.

If you need this survey in an alternative format, contact [your email address].

Inclusive practice: DUSA policy on gender questions

In line with DUSA policy:

  • If your survey includes a gender question, it must have an Other option.
  • If the question is mandatory, you can include a Prefer not to say option.

University of Dundee logo

Use this URL for the University of Dundee logo in your Jisc Online Survey:
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-03/uod-logo-stacked-email%402x.png

To add it, enter the URL into the settings field marked 'LOGO'.

Response ID

If you want to allow respondents to request the deletion of their responses, enable the Show Response ID option. Respondents can then quote their unique response ID to request removal from the survey.

Surveys with prize draws and/or follow-up focus groups

If your survey includes a prize draw or follow-up focus group, create a second survey with a single question for contact details (e.g. 'What is your University of Dundee email address?').

Embed the link to this second survey on the final page of your main survey. This keeps contact details separate from survey responses, ensuring they cannot be linked.

Survey ownership

Sharing survey ownership

It’s recommended that survey owners share their survey with at least one other user (where appropriate and in line with GDPR). This means that the survey can still be accessed even if the owner is unavailable (e.g. due to planned or unexpected leave).

Changing a survey’s owner

If a survey owner leaves the University, any shared access will be lost when their Jisc Online Surveys account is deleted.

To retain a survey, the owner must transfer it to a new owner (e.g. a supervisor or line manager) before leaving, in line with GDPR. It is the survey owner's responsibility to reassign ownership.

Survey privacy notices

If your survey collects personal data (whether directly or indirectly), you must include a privacy notice at the beginning.

Does your survey require a privacy notice?

You need a privacy notice if:

  • Your survey directly asks for personal data (e.g. email address)

or

  • Your survey does not directly ask for personal data but may indirectly identify individuals through a combination of responses to free text and/or non-free text questions (e.g. employer name and job title).

You do not need a privacy notice if:

  • Your survey does not ask for personal data and a combination of responses to free text and/or non-free text questions cannot be used to identify individuals.
Learn more and download privacy notice templates

Add a privacy notice

If your survey requires a privacy notice, you must complete the relevant template and get approval.

Once approved, copy and paste your privacy notice into a Note on the first page of your survey. 

Survey Service staff cannot complete or obtain approval of your privacy notice for you — you must do this yourself.

How to obtain approval of your survey privacy notice

If you have already drafted your survey in Jisc Online Surveys:

  1. Paste your completed privacy notice into a Note on the first page of your survey.
  2. Download a PDF version of your survey.
  3. Send the PDF to Data Protection for approval.

If you have not yet drafted your survey in Jisc Online Surveys:

  1. Prepare your survey questions and privacy notice in Word documents.
  2. Send them to Data Protection for approval.
Email instructions

Subject line:
Approval of Jisc Online Surveys Privacy Notice: Approval Required by DD/MM/YY
(Replace DD/MM/YY with the required approval date.)

Suggested email text:

Dear Data Protection Colleagues,

I am pleased to attach a copy of my survey, together with my completed privacy notice, for your considered approval of my privacy notice.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]

Send your email to: [email protected]

Submit your request well in advance of your survey launch date to allow time for approval.

Pilot your survey (using a generic survey link*)

To ensure your survey works as expected and the results summary meets your reporting needs, it’s important to pilot your survey.

How to pilot your survey:

  1. Make a copy of your original survey (similar to ‘Save As’ in Word).
  2. Rename and update the survey link to distinguish it from the original. Example:
    • Original survey:
      Name: Introduction to Referencing
      Link: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/dundee/intro-to-referencing
    • Pilot survey:
      Name: Introduction to Referencing – PILOT
      Link: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/dundee/intro-to-referencing-pilot

Run the pilot survey to check functionality and reporting before launching your final version. You can click on your pilot survey link or QR code as often as you like to try out your survey to ensure it is technically sound and the results summary will meet with your requirements.

You can also forward the pilot survey link or QR code to colleagues to try out your pilot survey and provide feedback on it.

* Instead of a generic survey link, you can use Jisc Online Surveys’ inbuilt email tool to send:

  • password-protected links
  • unique survey links for each respondent

If using this method, pilot your survey the same way to ensure everything functions correctly.

For more information: Adding Respondents

Updating your survey after piloting

After running your pilot survey, review your own testing and any feedback from colleagues.

Making changes to your original survey:

  • Minor changes (e.g., spelling corrections) → Edit your original survey without needing another pilot.
  • Major changes (e.g., restructuring questions, changing response formats) → Conduct a second pilot survey, even if just for your own testing.

Example for a second pilot survey:

  • Name: Introduction to Referencing – PILOT 2
  • Link: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/dundee/intro-to-referencing-pilot-2

Your pilot surveys serve as copies of your original, so you can refer back if needed.

Distribute your survey

Once your original or updated survey is live, you can share it with your audience:

  • Send an email from your University of Dundee email account.
  • Include the survey link and/or QR code at an appropriate point in the message.
  • If emailing multiple recipients, use blind carbon copy (BCC) to keep email addresses private.

Access your survey results

You can access your survey results as soon as they are coming in. You don’t need to wait until your survey has closed.

You can download your results as a PDF and/or export your results to another software package, such as Excel or SPSS.

Enquiries

[email protected]

Related guides

Guide Setting up your Jisc Online Surveys account
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