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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Plast Surg 2023; 56(03): 195-196
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1770695
Editorial

The Essentials of Survey Study and Reporting

Dinesh Kadam
1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, A J Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
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We frequently receive requests on our smartphones to respond to surveys on opinions, attitudes, and practices related to our profession. Survey studies account for an increasing proportion of published research.[1] With the widespread use of the Internet and smartphones, the past two decades have witnessed a massive rise in these studies, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is relatively easy to get quick data, cost-effective, and much easier to conduct and analyze with user-friendly web tools. They are ideal for measuring elements that are not directly observable, such as attitudes, opinions, and beliefs, including satisfaction and feedback. Well-constructed and validated survey studies can provide vital and reliable insights, sometimes the only tool for some research questions.

Online surveys are the simplest form of research, gaining popularity among trainees and novice researchers. Unfortunately, many such surveys are poorly designed, resulting in incorrect inferences and biased reporting, casting questionable reputation on survey studies. Indeed, the enthusiasm to quickly conduct a survey and get published in their names is appreciated and understandable. It is, however, imperative for authors to dive deep into the principles of these studies and understand and apply them for good outcomes. It is beyond the scope of this editorial to provide detailed steps to carry out such studies but encourage and assist authors in following all essential components of the research and include them in the manuscript preparation. By adhering to fundamental principles, the critical questions raised by the authors and the responses should accurately reflect reality. Studies with ineffective research questions and incomplete or flawed designs are considered inadequate reporting and most likely to be rejected.



Publication History

Article published online:
23 June 2023

© 2023. Association of Plastic Surgeons of India. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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