College and Research Libraries Research Notes An Experimental Design to Test Sponsorship and Dating Effects in Library Questionnaire Design Ruth A. Pagell and Edward J. Lusk The effects of sponsorship and return date on the response rate to a university library ques- tionnaire were examined. A survey of personal computer utilization was sent through campus mail to all Wharton School faculty and M.B.A. students. Fifty percent of the surveys had a re- turn date; fifty percent did not have a return date; fifty percent of the surveys had a library return address; fifty percent had a Wharton faculty address . The response rate for M.B.A.'s was significantly higher when both a return date and faculty address were in- cluded. Faculty response was not affected by ei- ther sponsorship or return date. Two factors which are often used to stimulate response rates in surveys are prestigious sponsorship and affixing a re- turn date to the questionnaire. Increasing the response rate is important because it reduces the potential bias from non- respondents and facilitates generalizing to a larger group given the respondents' viewpoints. This paper reports the results of a study that examined these two factors in a library survey. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The Lippincott Library of the University of Pennsylvania was interested in collect- ing information on the utilization of per- sonal computers for online searching for both students and faculty of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The questionnaire was one page and asked thirteen questions, some with mul- tiple answer options. The two populations of interest were the Wharton teaching fac- ulty, defined as Research Assistants, Standing Faculty, and Adjunct Professors (N = 226), and M.B.A. students (N = 1323). Questionnaires sent to all members of both groups were experimentally ar- ranged a follows: • 50 percent of the questionnaires had a return date affixed. The return date was one week after the distribution date. • 50 percent of the questionnaires had no return date. • 50 percent of the questionnaires had the following return address: Intramural Mail Ruth A . Pagell On-Line Search Coordinator Van Pelt West/CH • 50 percent of the questionnaires had the following return address : Ruth A. Pagell is head of public services in th e Lippin cott LibranJ and instructor of decisio n sciences and Edward f. Lusk is associate professor at the Wharton School, University of Pe111rsylvan ia, P!Ji/adc!phia, Pennsylvnnin 19104. 493 494 College & Research Libraries Intramural Mail Edward J. Lusk Associate Professor/Wharton Vance Hall/CS The research hypotheses for both groups were: Hl: The questionnaires with the faculty return address will be returned more frequently than will the questionnaires with the library return address. A multi-based online search was con- ducted to locate articles addressing the topic of sponsorship of surveys or ques- tionnaires. No articles concerning this particular topic appeared in the ERIC, LISA, or Information Science databases. However, the subject has been reported in the literature of other disciplines, where it is co.ncluded that university sponsorship specifically, and relatively more "presti- gious" sponsorship in general, has been shown to be useful in many situations to stimulate questionnaire responses. 1-3 Blumberg, Fuller, and Hare offer a few counterexamples. 4 In this study, it was assumed that the faculty return address would be equated with a university sponsorship. H2: The questionnaires with the return date af- fixed will be returned more frequently, until the return date passes, than will the questionnaires with no return date affixed. A corrolary to H2 is that after the return date has passed, questionnaires without a return date will be returned more frequently than those questionnaires with a return date. Research suggests individuals will re- turn the dated questionnaires more fre- quently by the specified return date com- pared to questionnaires with no return date affixed. 5-7 But it has also been found that after the return date passes, undated questionnaires are received more fre- quently. s-to November 1984 In our survey, the questionnaires were distributed one week before spring break. This period was selected because, accord- ing to the Director of Admissions, most of the students typically "wrap things up" before the break. After the break, the re- turns were expected to be negligible. RESULTS The returns during the seven day period are represented in Table 1. After one week, 96.5 percent of the M.B.A. ques- tionnaires had been removed from their mail folders. The two research hypotheses are supported by the data for the M.B.A. students (p < .075 and p < .025 respec- tively). The relationship between spon- sorship and affixing a deadline for the M.B.A. students is represented by the fol- lowing: The Classification Table Lusk Pagell DATED 66 39 NOT DATED 36 44 The X2 test for homogeneity yields p < .025. The odds ratio for this classifica- tion table is 2.06 ·with a standard error of .43. Therefore, the return of dated ques- tionnaires with faculty sponsorship is slightly greater than twice that of undated questionnaires without such sponsorship. Finally, eleven faculty and three M.B.A. questionnaires were returned after the af- fixed return data. Of these, twelve were not dated. DISCUSSION The faculty and M.B.A. students seem to react differently regarding faculty/li- brary sponsorship and questionnaire dat- ing. There may be numerous plausible ex- planations for these differences. However, given our methodology, such explanations are conjectural. More impor- tantly, given the results, two sets of guide- TABLE 1 QUESTIONNAIRE RETURNS Dated Not Dated Page II Lusk Page II Lusk Total M.B.A. Students 39 66 44 36 185 Wharton Faculty 11 15 15 15 56 Total 50 81 59 51 241 lines are suggested in surveying these two groups: I. Surveys of faculty can be conducted without faculty sponsorship without in- hibiting the return rate. Such question- Research Notes 495 naires should not have return dates af- fixed. II. Faculty sponsorship and return dates seem likely to increase return rates for M.B.A.'s. REFERENCES 1. Achilles A. Armenakis and William L. Lett, "Sponsorship and Follow-up Effects on Response Quality of Mail Surveys," Journal of Business Research 10:251-62 (June 1982). 2. Bob T. W. Wu and Jana Vosika, "Improving Primary Research: An Experimental Study of Mail Survey Response," Journal of Small Business Management 21:30-37 (Apr . 1983) . 3. Wesley H. Jones and James R. Lang, "Reliability and Validity Effects Under Mail Survey Condi- tions," Journal of Business Research 10:339-53 (Sept. 1982). 4. Herbert H. Blumberg, Carolyn Fuller, and Paul A . Hare, "Response Rates in Postal Surveys," The Public Opinion Quarterly 38:113-23 (Spring 1974). 5. Abbott L. Ferriss, "A Note on Stimulating Response to Questionnaires," American Sociological Re- view 16:247-49 (1951). · 6. James R. Henley Jr., "Response Rate to Mail Questionnaires with a Return Deadline," Public Opin- ion Quarterly 40:374-75 (Fall1976). 7. A. G. Roeher, "Effective Techniques in Increasing Response to Mailed Questionnaires," Public Opinion Quarterly 27:299-302 (1963). 8. W. Jack Duncan, "Mail Questionnaires in Survey Research: A Review of Response Inducement Techniques," Journal of Management 5:39-55 (Spring 1979). 9. J. R. Nevin and N. M. Ford, ''Effects of a Deadline and a Veiled Threat on Mail Survey Response,'' Journal of Applied Psychology 61:116-18 (1976) . 10. T. Vocino, ''Three Variables in Stimulating Responses to Mailed Questionnaires,'' Journal of Mar- keting 41:76-77 (1977). ~k ~ tk~ ~OY'J (j~ if' %t"~i vw -ik a-.uWtM When I needed information for the head of our zoology department, I found out that Zoological Record Online is comprehensive, user friendly, and flexible! It pro- vides access to over 160,000 bibliographic references, making it the world's most comprehensive zoological data base. Did YOU know that ZR Online is marketed, supported and provided by BioSciences Information Service (BIOSIS)? The BIOSIS policy of free training courses, free newsletters, and free search advice has been extended to ZR Online. For more infor- mation contact BIOSIS on their 800 number: 800/523-4806 (continental USA ex- cept PA) or write them. ZR Online is currently available through the DIALOG Information Services. BIOSIS • 2100 ARCH STREET • PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103 • USA • 215/587-4800