SMU's Survey Procedure
Surveys are a popular and necessary method of gathering information from large groups. Though there are other methods of data collection such as observations, interviews, and focus groups, a wide range of offices and individuals have reason to launch university-wide surveys to inform or improve practices. Consequently, many within our university community, including students, faculty, staff and other constituents experience what is commonly known as “survey fatigue”. This phenomenon, along with overlapping survey dates, can cause a variety of problems for those of us who seek to gather information.
In order to achieve the best response rate for your surveys, to minimize redundancy and coordinate survey deployment, and to avoid survey fatigue, the Office of the Provost has directed that students, staff, and faculty desiring to survey any part of the university community (i.e. alumni, donors, prospective or current students, and employees) follow the procedures outlined here.
In order to achieve the best response rate for your surveys, to minimize redundancy and coordinate survey deployment, and to avoid survey fatigue, the Office of the Provost has directed that students, staff, and faculty desiring to survey any part of the university community (i.e. alumni, donors, prospective or current students, and employees) follow the procedures outlined here.
Steps to Complete Before Surveying
Step 1. Determine whether IRB review is needed.- Not all surveys require IRB review. Some surveys, such as those conducted for program improvement or evaluation, may not meet the federal definition of human subjects research (HSR) and therefore do not require formal IRB approval.
- To receive a formal determination, researchers must submit their proposed project in and select Activities that may not meet the federal definition of "Human Subjects Research" as the "Project Type" in the Basic Information section of the application form. For guidance, please visit the Cayuse Human Ethics page.
- For more information, visit the IRB Review Process page.
- Significant survey overlap and Reading Days must be avoided.
- Surveys will be calendared for two-week (14-day) response windows only, as response rates decline significantly beyond this period.
- Group broadcast email messages must conform to 麻豆社’s policy on Broadcast E-mail Messages on Campus (Policy Number 8.1.16).
Data Governance
- As of May 2026, 麻豆社 no longer shares institutional data (such as student names, email addresses, or course information) with internal or external parties except those with a direct institutional need to access and analyze the data.
Exclusions
- These procedures exclude those brief evaluative surveys sent to individuals after they have attended or participated in a campus event, course, activity, or utilized a campus service.
Deadlines
- Deadlines to for priority calendaring is August 31 for the Fall semester, and January 31 for Spring and Summer semesters.