Educator's blueprint: A how-to guide on survey administration

In this paper, we take the lessons learned from designing a survey and collecting validity evidence and prepare to administer the survey for research. We focus specifically on how researchers can reach individuals in the target population, methods of contact and engagement, evidence-informed factors that enhance participation, and recommendations for follow-up with nonrespondents. We also discuss the challenges of survey administration and provide guidance for navigating low response rates. Surveys are a common tool used to evaluate educational initiatives and collect data for all types of research. However, many clinician educators conducting survey-based evaluation and research may struggle to efficiently administer their survey. As a result, they often struggle to obtain appropriate response rates and thus may have difficulty publishing their survey results. Previous papers in this series focused on the initial steps of survey development and validation, but it is equally important to understand how best to administer your survey to obtain meaningful responses from a representative sample.