SurveyWiz (SW; http://psych.fullerton.edu/mbirnbaum/programs/surveyWiz.htm) makes constructing Web surveys a snap.  A Javescript program, all you need to run the program is a copy of the webpage.  It has a simple user-friendly interface and, though it's not necessary, if you know a little HTML, or you can use an HTML editor to spruce up the page.  Let's make a simple survey in SW.  Keep in mind that SW creates the survey and webpage, but you'll ultimately need to post that website on a server.  Before beginning this exercise, it would be helpful if you read over the instructions included at the website.
        We are going to construct this survey using a new college-related anxiety scale (CAS).  Some students find college to be a stressful experience, and this measure assess that anxiety.  Depression is also a problem for many college students.  So, let's create a survey webpage that includes the Zung Depression Scale (Zung, 1972), and some items for the CAS.

Getting Started:
1) Using your web browser, go to the SurveyWiz website.  If you want, you can download the webpage to your harddrive so you don't have to be online to work on it.

2) Once the page opens, you need to name it.  For the Survey Name, we want to give it something descriptive for your respondents, so lets call it College Anxiety Survey.  So, type in 'College Anxiety Survey' in the blank next to Survey Name.  The Short Name is used to name your survey in the SurveyWiz data file (we'll take a look at that later).  You want it to be short, but specific.  For the Short Name, enter 'Anxiety_College' in the blank next to Short Name.
        NOTE:  You may want to give it your own unique name for this exercise, so as not to confuse your survey with anyone else completing the exercise.

3) Click the 1. Start Form button.  You'll see some HTML code appear in the window at the bottom.  We'll call this the HTML window.  It's a scrollable window so you can see the HTML as it gets added.  In case you aren't familiar with HTML, the text that's being added is the code needed at the beginning of a webpage.  It also includes a line indicating where the instructions for completing the survey will go (see line 7).  We'll come back and add the instructions later.  Now, you should have something that looks like this:

Example of the interface

Creating Survey Items:
4) Now, we're ready to start entering items for our survey.  We have items from 2 different surveys: 1) the CAS and 2) the Zung Depression Scale.  For clarity here, we'll enter them so that the items for the different surveys are kept together.
        First, let's enter the 5 items for the CAS.  In the blank below '2. Type your questions here:', erase the text already on the line, "(type your first question here)", and enter this text:   "I'm not sure I can keep up with the work in my classes."

        SW allows respondents to use a) text input or b) radio buttons for answer the questions.  We want respondents to rate their agreement to each statement, using radio buttons and a 6-point scale.  In the blank for Number of Buttons, change the "5" to "6".  Take a look at the labels on the next line down.  These represent the endpoints for our 6-point rating scale.  The current labels, "strongly disagree" and "strongly agree" work for us, so leave them in there.
        Now we're all set, so click the 3b. Radio Button Scale button and SW will paste the HTML necessary for that question into the HTML box.  It gives the question a specific variable name to keep track of it in the data file.

5) Now, we're ready to enter the rest of the items for the CAS.  Repeat step #4 above for the remaining 4 items of the CAS.  All the information for the Likert scale stays the same and all you need to do is add the text for the question and push the 3b. Radio Button Scale button.

        Remaining CAS items (repeating step #4 above):
        item #2:  I'm worried I won't graduate on time.
        item #3:  I've been able to get involved with other people on campus.
        item #4:  I spend a lot of time thinking about all the work I have to do.
        item #5:  I find college to be a pretty stressful environment.

        Now remember, all you're doing is creating the HTML for adding these survey items to a webpage; SW isn't actually showing you the webpage yet. You'll see the finished product when you're done.  For now, if you where using a web browser to see your questions as a webpage, here's what it would look like:

Preview of they survey

 

NOTE:  Notice the radio button to the left of the question number.  This is a default in SW, so if a respondent failed to answer a question, you can recognize that in this data file as teh default value.

NOTE:  SW doesn't have a function to save the work you're doing in the process of survey construction.  However, all this is doing is creating the HTML you need and pasting it to the HTML window.  HTML can be saved in any basic text editor (e.g., MS Notebook).  So, if you want to save the work you're doing, simply highlight the text in the HTML window, copy that text to a text document in MS Notebook, and save that file.  If you want to come back and work on your survey more later, just copy the HTML back into the HTML window and pick up where you left off.

6) OK, so we have the 5 items for the CAS enter.  We want to keep things separated for clarity, so let's insert a horizontal line before we enter the items for the next survey.  Go to the HTML window, put the cursor at the very bottom on the text, and beginning on the next available line type the following:

<br>
<hr ALIGN=LEFT WIDTH="40%">
<br>

Entering the rest of the survey items:
7)  Now, let's enter the items for the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale.  We want to use a 5-item rating scale, with endpoints of "none or a little of the time" and "all the time".  Changing the Number of Buttons to "5" and changing the Label at left End and Label at right End, repeat the procedure from #4 above, but use the following items:

    I feel down-hearted, blue, and sad
    Morning is when I feel the best.
    I have crying spells or feel like it.
    I have trouble sleeping through the night.
    I eat as much as I used to.
    I enjoy looking at, talking to, and being with attractive women/men.
    I notice that I am losing weight.
    I have trouble with constipation.
    My heart beats faster than usual.
    I get tired for no reason.
    My mind is as clear as it used to be.
    I find it easy to do the things I used to do.
    I am restless and can't keep still.
    I feel hopeful about the future.
    I am more irritable than usual.
    I find it easy to make decisions.
    I feel that I am useful and needed.
    My life is pretty full.
    I feel that others would be better off if I were dead.
    I still enjoy the things I used to do.

8) If you want, you can add another horizontal line to separate this survey from any other material.  Just enter the HTML from step #6 above.

Finishing the survey:
9) Now, we just need to finish up our survey.  SW has some preset demographic questions you can add if you want.  A little demographic information is always a good thing, so click the 3c. Demographics button and it will paste a little more HTML to the webpage.

10) Click the 4. Finish the Form button to add the HTML to close the webpage.  OK, THAT'S IT!!  Click the 5. Display button to see what you've made.

Adding instructions:
11) After taking a look at the survey, it looks like we need to add some instructions.  Go the the HTML window and find the text "(put yoru instructions here)" on line 7.  Highlight that text and replace it with the following:

<p>   Thank you for completing this survey. We are interested in the anxiety associated with the <br>
college experience. We've also included a short survey assessing depression. Please note that is are <br>
NOT assessments, but merely tools for a class exercise. For each item below, please click the <br>
button that best corresponds to your answer.  Please note that the endpoints of the scale can change, <br>
so make sure to pay attention to them.  Thanks again! <br>

        After entering the text, you can click the 5. Display button to see the final product.

12)  In SW, the only way to save the work is to copy the text from the HTML window and save it in a text editor.  Clicking 6. Save brings up a window with this very message.  When you close the window, the text is highlighted, so just copy the text and paste it to a text document.

13)  Save that text document w/ the name CAS.html.  If you open CAS.html in a web browser, THERE'S YOUR SURVEY, ready to be completed.  You can take a look at the completed survey at this website:  http://personal.centenary.edu/~rmweeks/ACS_tech/SW1_final.html.

Getting the data:
14) OK, so let's say someone completes your survey.  When they finish, they click the finished button at the bottom of the page (below the demographics).  What happens to the data?  By default, the data is stored in a master data file on the server at CSU-Fullerton.  All surveys constructed with SurveyWiz are stored in the same datafile, but data for the different surveys is distinguished by the Short Name (assigned in step #2 above).  The data can be accessed here:  ftp://guest:guest99@psych.fullerton.edu/data.csv (Note:  If you get prompted for a username and password, you can enter as an Anonymous user to access the data.
        You can alter the survey to either a) save the data to a different site (if you have the appropriate CGI script) or b) email the data (in a text format) to an email address.  By default, when the data gets submitted, you are redirected to a standard exit page offering opportunities for further research participation, but with CSU-Fullerton. In order to change this, you'd need to alter the CGI script used in collecting the data.

Things to Think About:

1. How might you distribute this webpage to students (e.g., mass email?; tell students to go take a look?)?
2. How might an online sample differ from just seeking out students at the student union,  or catching them coming out of class?
3. This format of the survey is pretty simple.  How might you change it to increase response rates?

References:
        Birnbaum, M. H. (2001). Introduction to Behavioral Research on the Internet. (Ch. 9). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
        Birnbaum, M. H. (2000). SurveyWiz and FactorWiz:  JavaScript Web pages that make HTML forms for research on teh Internet.  Behavior Research Methods, Instrument, & Computer, 32.