Check questionnaire permissions before implementation

Identify the precise material you intend to use

A questionnaire available online is not automatically unrestricted for every use. Begin with the exact instrument, version, language, scoring materials and intended administration mode. Distinguish using a measure in a study from reproducing it in an app, translating it, modifying items or publishing its full text in a supplement.

The developers' HealthMeasures administration guidance illustrates why digital administration and translations can have specific permission processes. Requirements vary by instrument and use; verify the current terms with the rights holder rather than transferring one measure's conditions to another.

Create a permission record

Save the official terms or permission correspondence with its date and source. Record the permitted users, study or organisation, language, mode, modification restrictions, attribution and any fees. Identify who is responsible for resolving uncertainty before deployment.

Check whether the platform already has a licence that covers the exact measure and use. A general vendor relationship does not establish coverage for every questionnaire or translation. Likewise, a paper-form permission may not automatically cover electronic reproduction or altered layout.

Hypothetical example

A fictional team has permission to administer an English paper questionnaire and wants to place a translated version in a mobile survey. The original permission does not explicitly address that language or digital mode. The team pauses implementation, checks the official translation and electronic-use conditions, and records the resulting decision.

The example is a workflow prompt, not a legal determination about a specific instrument. No questionnaire text needs to be copied into the public audit record to document the issue.

Verify the implemented version

After permission is resolved, compare the survey with the authorised material: item wording, response options, recall period, order, scoring and required notices. Document any approved changes. Keep screenshots or an equivalent implementation record in the permitted project workspace, respecting restrictions on redistribution.

Report the instrument version and administration mode accurately in the methods. Use the asset reuse permission worksheet for the permission trail and the instrument scoring contract for scoring rules. Permission to use a measure and evidence that it is valid for the intended population are separate checks; completing one does not establish the other. Recheck the terms when the study changes platform, language or scope.

Source verification: 6 November 2026. Examples are hypothetical.