Accessing the survey via different methods and identifying the method

Question

I have a survey where respondents will receive an invitation to complete the survey. The survey link will be piped in the email invitation. The standard approach.

We also intend to provide respondents the login page link which will be placed on a website. Respondents can click on this link and enter their own unique password.

So we have two methods to access the survey ...

1/ Email invitation
2/ Login page on website

Is it possible to identify the method respondents chose to enter the survey?

Thank you.

Answer 1

I've had a number of studies where I needed to identify which source it came from so I just included a pass-in variable called 'Source' with each different link.  One you can set to 1 and the other to 2.  Would this take care of what you are looking for?

Comments

Thanks Jay.

All respondents have the choice to choose a method. It's not something I allocate. I don't know beforehand as to which method they will select?

So if I provide the two options to the respondent, we want to see the proportion of those who take up each method.

Does that make sense?

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Right, but the link in the email invitation could have the pass-in set as a 1 and the link on the website could have it set as a 2, then you know how many of each kind.  Is that not what you are looking for?

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Jay, you have me thinking of an idea.

The link on the website is the survey access link or the login link. No pass-in fields are attached to this.

e.g. https://opinions.company1.com/s/survey1/login.html

Via this method, the respondents would have to go to the website, click on this link and be presented with the password page and enter their password.

If they enter the survey via the typical survey link in their invitation or reminder email, I could add a pass-in field to that link like you mentioned: Source=1.

So if Source=1, we know they went in via the standard method (clicking on the link in their email invitation / reminder).

If Source=blank, they went in via the website method.

How does that sound?

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Leaving it blank also gives you what you need but you can still format that link and add a pass-in.  

https://opinions.company1.com/s/survey1/cgi-bin/ciwweb.pl?studyname=survey1&Source=2

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The Source=blank gives me what I need.

To access the survey, even via the website method, the respondent needs their own unique password.

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Ah, got you.  I was thinking more of an open link.  When I've had to do this I created one password set for multiple use (999999) and treated it like an open link by putting it on a website.

Well, as long as this gives you what you need!

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Your response gave me the idea. So thanks mate.

I tested it out and it works fine.

I could certainly use Source=2 if the link was a generic link (as you suggested), but these survey links have merged sample so that does not suffice here given they are unique survey links.