> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ailyze.gitbook.io/ailyze-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ailyze.gitbook.io/ailyze-docs/methods-and-best-practices/survey-research-best-practices.md).
# Survey Research Best Practices
This page shows you how to get clean, comparable results from survey data in Evidano — numbers and open-ended text alike. A little prep makes a big difference.
### 1. Structure your export well
* **One row per respondent, one column per question.**
* Keep **demographics** (age, region, department, plan) in their own columns — these become your [segments](/ailyze-docs/reference/glossary.md#segment).
* Include a **respondent ID** column if you want quotes attributed to people.
* As a rough guide, keep each project to about **5,000 rows**; split larger datasets if needed.
### 2. Choose the right analysis path
* **Whole survey report** → analyze across all columns (an **Overall** dashboard plus a thematic project per open-ended question).
* **Specific open-ended questions** → analyze the selected columns only.
See [Choosing the right analysis approach](/ailyze-docs/methods-and-best-practices/choosing-the-right-analysis-approach.md).
### 3. Tag columns correctly
On **Configure Column Types**, make sure:
* **Ratings and scales** → **Numerical** (histograms).
* **Single or multi-choice** → **Categorical** (bar charts).
* **Open-ended text** → **Text** (themed).
* **Grouping variables** → **Segments**.
* Junk (timestamps, collector IDs, consent flags) → **Not Analyzed**.
Good tagging is the difference between a clean dashboard and a messy one.
### 4. Plan segments before you run
Decide your comparisons up front (for example, by plan, region, or tenure). Keep groups **large enough** to be meaningful and **few enough** to be readable (2–5). Watch out for confounds — a hidden difference that quietly explains a result. (If one region is also mostly new customers, you can't tell whether region or tenure is driving a gap.) See [Compare groups](/ailyze-docs/analyze-data/compare-groups-segments.md).
### 5. Code open-ended answers consistently
* Let Evidano draft the [themes](/ailyze-docs/reference/glossary.md#theme), then curate the [codebook](/ailyze-docs/reference/glossary.md#codebook) and add descriptions.
* For several similar open-ended questions, consider a single merged codebook so they're coded the same way.
* Audit with the **"AI Labels as Checklist (with code justifications)"** tab and **"Calculate AI Accuracy"**.
### 6. Quantify responsibly
* Report percentages with their denominators — the total each percentage is out of (for example, "38% of 1,200 respondents," not just "38%").
* Don't imply causation from cross-tabs.
* Note **non-response** and sampling caveats.
### 7. Combine numbers and narrative
The strongest survey reports pair a **chart** (how many) with **themes and quotes** (why). Use the Overall dashboard for the "how many" and the per-column projects for the "why."
### A best-practice checklist
* [ ] Export is one row per respondent with clean columns
* [ ] Right analysis path chosen
* [ ] Columns tagged correctly (numerical, categorical, text, segment)
* [ ] Segments planned and sized well
* [ ] Open-ended codebook curated and validated
* [ ] Percentages reported with denominators and caveats
## Next steps
* [Analyze open-ended survey responses](/ailyze-docs/common-research-workflows/analyze-open-ended-survey-responses.md)
* [How to read your results](/ailyze-docs/analyze-data/how-to-read-your-results.md)
* [Reporting findings](/ailyze-docs/methods-and-best-practices/reporting-findings.md)
* [Analysis issues](/ailyze-docs/troubleshooting/analysis-issues.md)
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