Software:SoSci Survey

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SoSci Survey
Original author(s)Dominik J. Leiner
Initial release2006
Stable release
2.3.23 / 12.03.2021
Written inPHP
Available inEnglish, German
Typeapplication software, scientific, web-based surveys
Licenceproprietary
Websitehttps://www.soscisurvey.de

SoSci Survey is a web application for creating online questionnaires. SoSci Survey GmbH distributes the software as a cloud service and on-premise software license.[1] For non-commercial scientific surveys, these services are also provided free of charge.[2][3]

The software includes a broad range of question types, including specialized variants such as the Implicit-association test. Users can implement individual presentation and research designs utilizing different techniques (adaptation of designs, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, PHP).[4]

Classification

SoSci Survey finds distribution mainly in German-speaking countries. The user interface is available in German and English. Researchers can publish questionnaires in any language, including non-western languages and languages written right-to-left. SoSci Survey is widely used in academic research [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]. Most German universities consider SoSci Survey as standard software for online surveys[16] alongside Globalpark, targeting universities with its Unipark product and the open-source software LimeSurvey. US providers (SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, Google Forms) dominate the western market in commercial market research. These, however, have been increasingly confronted with difficulties in the area of data protection since the GDPR came into force and the EU-US Privacy Shield became ineffective.

Untypical for software in the online survey sector, SoSci Survey is offered both as a cloud service (SaaS) and as a software license for running on a local webserver (on-premises). Numerous universities now operate their own survey servers.[17]

From a technical point of view, SoSci Survey allows the usage and execution of PHP program code, providing functions for output and questionnaire process control[18] while blocking other functions. This functionality places the software between a web application and a Framework. This option allows the implementation of complex research designs. A manual of several hundred pages reflects the possible depth.

History

The original idea and structure of the software were created at the Department of Media and Communication[19] at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU Munich) around 2003. In 2004 researchers from the University of Zurich contributed to the project. Later, the original developer continued work on SoSci Survey privately. In 2006, the software was made publicly available. In 2010 the developer released version 2.0, which is a comprehensive revision. In 2012, the name was changed from oFb - der onlineFragebogen to SoSci Survey and the cloud service was made available under a new domain (soscisurvey.de). In 2014, SoSci Survey GmbH was founded to organize the operation and distribution of the software - not least due to the increased requirements for reliability and the necessary compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation in online surveys.[1]

The original developer is still working on the software, expanding its functionality, cooperating with practicing researchers on several occasions.[20][21][1]

Architecture

SoSci Survey is a traditional web application based on PHP and MySQL at the backend and HTML/JavaScript on the frontend. The HTML output includes fallback structures for clients that do not support JavaScript, except for enhanced data collection formats. WebRTC audio recording, the implicit-association test (IAT), or continuous response measures (CRM) for video or audio contents do not work if JavaScript is disabled.

APIs are mostly limited to outgoing interfaces, allowing for retrieving the collected data (R, CSV, JSON)[22]. Various elements of a questionnaire allow for import and export via a non-standardized XML format. Responses to requests for supporting ingoing interfaces in the public online support[23] did not specify a roadmap for such an interface.

User interface

The software offers over 30 different question types that can be used separately or combined using PHP and HTML/CSS. Filter control and layout are freely programmable.[24] In addition, there are various instructions for all question types, the general use of SoSci Survey, and the creation of survey projects. A DokuWiki stores the instructions for the software. Thus, every registered user can optimize and revise the instructions. No prior knowledge of creating online surveys is required to create an online survey. A 5-minute introduction explains the creation of a new survey project. Users find video tutorials on various topics. There are also many instructions on using PHP/HTML to implement more sophisticated surveys. SoSci Survey GmbH also offers online support[25] to address difficulties that may arise while creating an online survey project.

Relations to other projects

By default, questionnaires with a scientific background display an advertisement for the SoSci Panel[26] at the end of the questionnaire. The SoSci Panel, founded by the developer of SoSci Survey, is a pool of email addresses for online research exclusively provided to peer-reviewed academic research projects. In 2018 the German Communication Association[27] took the responsibility of the SoSci Panel. Through the advertisement as mentioned above, SoSci Survey still provides the SoSci Panel with new respondents[28].

Trivia

The software's original name was "oFb - der onlineFragebogen", the German name for an online questionnaire. The original URL was ofb.msd-media.de[29]. There is no concensus pronouncing the name SoSci Survey. In the video tutorials[30], different speakers say [ˈsō-sɪ] and [ˈsɔ-saī], whereas users also were heard pronouncing the name [ˈsotɕɪ] or [sɔs-skē].

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Informationen about SoSci Survey". https://www.soscisurvey.de/en/about. 
  2. ↑ "Free Use for Non-commercial Online Surveys". https://www.soscisurvey.de/en/academic. 
  3. ↑ R. Bath, J. Geppert, E. Funken, R. Stamminger: Consumers Perceptions and Preference for Strawberries—A Case Study from Germany, International Journal of Fruit Science, 15(4), 405-424, doi:10.1080/15538362.2015.1021408.
  4. ↑ "SoSci Survey Features". https://www.soscisurvey.de/en/features. 
  5. ↑ Bernotat, Jasmin; Eyssel, Friederike; Sachse, Janik (2021). "The (Fe)male Robot: How Robot Body Shape Impacts First Impressions and Trust Towards Robots". International Journal of Social Robotics 13 (3): 477–489. doi:10.1007/s12369-019-00562-7. 
  6. ↑ Dramburg, Stephanie; Matricardi, Paolo Maria; Casper, Ingrid; Klimek, Ludger (2021). "Use of telemedicine by practising allergists before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A survey among members of the Association of German Allergists (AeDA)". Allergo Journal International. doi:10.1007/s40629-021-00175-5. 
  7. ↑ Unternehmensgründungen im Umfeld saarländischer Hochschulen: empirische Ergebnisse und regionalökonomische Effekte. Schriftenreihe der Kooperationsstelle Wissenschaft und Arbeitswelt. Eike Emrich, Freya Gassmann, Luitpold Rampeltshammer, Markus Thomas Münter, Michael Koch, Quynh Nga Nguyen, Richard Betzold, Slawka Jordanow (eds.). Saarbrücken: universaar. 2020. ISBN 978-3-86223-295-6. 
  8. ↑ Haluza, Daniela; Naszay, Marlene; Stockinger, Andreas; Jungwirth, David (2017). "Digital Natives Versus Digital Immigrants: Influence of Online Health Information Seeking on the Doctor–Patient Relationship". Health Communication 32 (11): 1342–1349. doi:10.1080/10410236.2016.1220044. 
  9. ↑ Jenner, Sabine; Djermester, Pia; Prügl, Judith; Kurmeyer, Christine; Oertelt-Prigione, Sabine (2019). "Prevalence of Sexual Harassment in Academic Medicine". JAMA Internal Medicine 179 (1): 108. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4859. 
  10. ↑ Lang-Illievich, Kordula; Rumpold-Seitlinger, Gudrun; Szilagyi, Istvan S.; Dorn, Christian; Sailer, Michaela; Schittek, Gregor A.; Klivinyi, Christoph; Bornemann-Cimenti, Helmar (2021). "Biological, psychological, and social factors associated with worsening of chronic pain during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey". British Journal of Anaesthesia 127 (1): –37-e39. doi:10.1016/j.bja.2021.04.010. 
  11. ↑ Moritz, Katharina; Seiberth, Jasmin Mina; Schiek, Susanne; Bertsche, Thilo (2019). "The impact of evidence from clinical trials on counselling for over‐the‐counter drugs: A national survey of pharmaceutical staff in German pharmacies". Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics 44 (6): 895–903. doi:10.1111/jcpt.13013. 
  12. ↑ Schreitmüller, Julia; Becker, Jan C.; Zsebedits, Daniel; Weskott, Marvin; Dehghan-Nayyeri, Mahboobeh; Fegeler, Christian; Heue, Matthias; Hochleitner, Margarethe et al. (2018). "Development and initial Experience of an online Exchange Platform on Sex and Gender Aspects in Medicine: “GenderMed-Wiki”". GMS Journal for Medical Education; 35(3):Doc32. doi:10.3205/ZMA001178. 
  13. ↑ Stark, Rudolf; Kruse, Onno; Snagowski, Jan; Brand, Matthias; Walter, Bertram; Klucken, Tim; Wehrum-Osinsky, Sina (2017). "Predictors for (Problematic) Use of Internet Sexually Explicit Material: Role of Trait Sexual Motivation and Implicit Approach Tendencies Towards Sexually Explicit Material". Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity 24 (3): 180–202. doi:10.1080/10720162.2017.1329042. 
  14. ↑ Stock, Benita; Möckel, Luis (2021). "Characterization of blood donors and non-blood donors in Germany using an online survey". Health and Technology 11 (3): 595–602. doi:10.1007/s12553-021-00532-y. 
  15. ↑ Wisniewski, Aline; Buschulte, Anja (2019). "How to tackle food fraud in official food control authorities in Germany". Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety 14 (4): 319–328. doi:10.1007/s00003-019-01228-2. 
  16. ↑ D. J. Leiner, S. Scherr, A. Bartsch: Using Open-Source Tools to Measure Online Selective Exposure in Naturalistic Settings, Communication Methods and Measures, 10(4), 199–216, doi:10.1080/19312458.2016.1224825.
  17. ↑ "Liste von Hochschulen mit einem lokalem Befragungsserver". https://www.soscisurvey.de/de/campus. 
  18. ↑ "SoSci Survey manual on using PHP code". https://www.soscisurvey.de/help/doku.php/en:create:php. 
  19. ↑ "Department of Media and Communication (IfKW), LMU Munich". https://www.en.ifkw.uni-muenchen.de/index.html. 
  20. ↑ D. J. Leiner: Too Fast, too Straight, too Weird: Non-Reactive Indicators for Meaningless Data in Internet Surveys, Survey Research Methods, 13(3), 229–248, doi:10.18148/srm/2019.v13i3.7403.
  21. ↑ V. Karnowski & A. Fahr: Die mobile Online-Befragung In: In M. Welker, M. Taddicken, J.-H. Schmidt & N. Jackob (editors), Handbuch Online-Forschung. Sozialwissenschaftliche Datengewinnung und -auswertung in digitalen Netzen (S. 194–213). Herbert von Halem Verlag, Köln.
  22. ↑ "SoSci Survey manual on API for Data Retrieval". https://www.soscisurvey.de/help/doku.php/en:results:data-api. 
  23. ↑ "SoSci Survey Online Support". https://support.soscisurvey.de/. 
  24. ↑ "Online Umfrage Tools im Vergleich von Marktforschung Wien" (in de-DE). https://www.marktforschung-wien.at/online-umfrage-tools-im-vergleich/. 
  25. ↑ "SoSci Survey Online Support". https://support.soscisurvey.de/. 
  26. ↑ "SoSci Panel". https://www.soscipanel.de/. 
  27. ↑ "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft (DGPuK)". https://www.dgpuk.de/. 
  28. ↑ D. J. Leiner: Our research’s breadth lives on convenience samples. A case study of the online respondent pool “SoSci Panel”, Studies in Communication | Media (SCM), 5(4), 367–396. doi:10.5771/2192-4007-2016-4-36769–134.
  29. ↑ "Internet Archive WayBackMachine. ofb.msd-media.de". https://web.archive.org/web/20060601000000*/ofb.msd-media.de. 
  30. ↑ "SoSci Survey Video Tutorials". https://www.soscisurvey.de/de/screencast. 

See also

External links


Resubmission SoSci Survey

Sources on notability were added as well as cross-references to the SoSci Panel. Also, I amended the article with some details on the architecture and went over its language.


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