Just when you think you got the hang of surveys, you sometimes find a hang-up. To avoid problems with surveys, check out three simple suggestions to help you write great questions.

Non-exhaustive listings

When you are writing multiple choice questions, sometimes it's difficult to think of every option.

For example, if you are asking What kind of car do you drive? and can only think of Honda, Toyota and Ford, you might need some help thinking of other answer choices.

It is good to ask yourself: Do I have all of the options covered? If you are unsure, conduct a pretest using the "Other (please specify) __________" option.

As you read through what test respondents wrote under "other" you can go back and edit your survey before making it live to your target respondents. For example, you might have found that a lot of people wrote BMW and Jeep, you could consider putting those as options in your multiple choice question. Revising the question can help you make sure that you cover at least 90% of the respondent answers.

Unbalanced listings

Unbalanced scales may be appropriate for some situations and biased in others. When measuring alcohol consumption patterns, one study used a quantity scale that made the heavy drinker appear in the middle of the scale with the polar ends reflecting no consumption and an impossible amount to consume. A better option would be to keep all of the scale points fairly even. So instead, ask if the level of alcohol consumption is no consumption, moderate consumption, or heavy consumption.

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Double barreled questions

Two questions should not be asked in the same question. For example, "What is the fastest and most economic Internet service for you?" The fastest is certainly not the most economical. Be careful to read your questions to ensure you are only asking one question at a time.