Academic Writing

See 
Unit 1.8
References and Quotations
Reports
228
Part 4:
Writing Models

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Surveys
UNIT
4.5
Surveys, in which people are asked questions about their behaviour or opinions, are
a common feature of academic work. This unit deals with the design of effective
questionnaires for surveys, and presents a suitable structure for reporting the
results.
1 Conducting surveys
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What are the reasons for carrying out surveys in academic life? List your ideas below.
(a) _______________________________________
(b) _______________________________________
(c) _______________________________________
(d) _______________________________________
2 Questionnaire design
Writing an effective series of questions is a vital part of conducting a survey. You must think
carefully about what your aims are, and how to achieve them in the simplest way. There is no
value in collecting a mass of information that is irrelevant to your topic.
(a) Which is the better question?
(i) How old are you?
(ii) Are you (a) under 20 (b) between 21–30 (c) over 30?
To replicate other research

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Part 4:

Writing Models
sample conducted method respondents random questions
majority questioned mentioned interviewees common
questionnaire unusual generally minority slightly
(b) What is the main difference between the two questions below?
(i) How do you usually relax at weekends?
(ii) At weekends, do you relax by (a) doing sport (b) playing computer games (c)
sleeping?
(c) How many questions should your questionnaire contain?