COUNSGRADS is being used more and more to launch surveys for people doing research in Counselor Education and Supervision. As listowner I am happy to see that researchers see the value of the membership of this list and seek their opinion for various issues.
In consultation with Dr. Marty Jencius, listowner for CESNET-L, which is the professional listserv for Counselor Educators and Supervisors, I would like to offer the following tips and suggestions. It seems appropriate that COUNSGRADS, which is the listserv for graduate students in Counselor Education, mirror the same expectations as CESNET-L, the listserv for counselor educators and supervisors in the same profession.
TIPS AND ADVICE FOR SURVEYS SENT TO COUNSGRADS:
Remember, you must be a member to post to COUNSGRADS, and the listserv does not accept attachments. To join, or to manage your subscription, go to:
In general, it is considered good form to stay on the listserv for awhile and to participate in the surveys offered by others, if you are requesting that others participate in your research. In other words, if you just join, post your survey and leave, you don’t have the opportunity to participate in the conversation of COUNSGRADS, and you don’t have the opportunity to give back.
Here are a few tips to consider before posting your research to COUNSGRADS
(again, these are generally based on the CESNET-L tips, with gratitude to Dr. Jencius).
In general, netiquette suggests that you ask the permission of the listowner (Dr. Darcy Haag Granello at granello.1@osu.edu) before you post a survey to a listserv. It is helpful that your request to post include the information listed below in the “In your post:” section along with an anticipated posting schedule.
In your survey:
- How long is your survey? Have someone who is totally unfamiliar with your survey take it and time them. Double it… We often underestimate the amount of time it takes people to take these. In our desire to make our research question broad, we over extend the survey. If it says 5-10 minutes, it is reasonable to expect participants to stop after 10 minutes, regardless of whether they have completed the survey.
- How many variables do you have and what is the ‘power’ need of your instrument? If your inventory has so many variables that you need over 3500 respondents to show significance you are in trouble from the start. Begging for more people to take the survey won’t help.
- Members of COUNSGRADS are typically graduate students in counselor education. Think carefully about the people you are trying to survey before you post. Is this the right place to get in touch with the people you are trying to reach? This probably isn’t the right place for surveys that are trying to reach faculty or clients.
- I have no demographics on the membership of COUNSGRADS so I have nothing for you to compare your sample with once you have collected it. If you need to know the larger population of the group are sampling, COUNSGRADS is not the place for you.
- Make sure your demographics permit anonymity, if that is what you are promising.
- Avoid begging for subjects for your study. It is considered spam on a listserv. We must all be respectful of everyone’s time. It is reasonable to ask, ask a second time, and send a third request. After that, according to listserv netiquette, it becomes inappropriate.
- Set up a reasonable schedule for a second and third (final) request. Consider it similar to mail-out surveys. The Internet makes it easy for folks to “pester until you get enough people” and I am not sure that is a good research methodology. What does it say about the participant you get on the fifth request? Those who violate the third request rule are now subject to removal from the list.
In your post:
- Include everything that you would include in a cover letter if you were mailing the survey out. This generally means..
- Your Name
- Your contact information, both email and direct (phone)
- Your advisor and their contact information (This is now a requirement!!! Research advisors please make sure you preview the posting and the posting schedule.)
- Your institutional affiliation
- An indication that your research study has passed the institutional review board
- Purpose of the study
- Reason you are doing it (to fulfill the degree requirements for … )
- How the results will be used
- Permission of participants to withdraw at anytime
- Of course, you must also include anything else your institution’s IRB requires
- Make sure that your survey link is correct. Test it in a personal email sent to yourself or someone else before posting it to the list.(You would be surprised how many people miss this content in their posts. Please take time to make sure everything is included and accurate).
I wish you every success with your survey and with your research – and I look forward to reading the results in our professional journals when your research has been completed!
~Dr. Darcy Haag Granello