You can embed an external survey into your project or project timeline phase. The survey tools that a CitizenLab platform allows to embed are Typeform, Google Forms, Enalyzer, Qualtrics, MS Forms, SurveyXact, SurveyMonkey, Snap Surveys and SmartSurvey. Note that the data from these surveys isn’t automatically available for analysis on the CL platform.
Typeform and Google Forms are automatically enabled on your platform. If you want to use one of the other tools, reach out to support via the chat bubble in the admin panel and we will make sure to activate your chosen tool.
Access to this feature depends on your plan.
Embedding a survey in your project (phase)
STEP 1: Choose your external survey tool and create your survey
Typeform is the external survey tool we recommend because of the capabilities of the tool and because our platform integration allows you to link your user registration data with the survey results of Typeform. You can also download the Typeform survey data directly from your platform, which is not possible with Google Forms or any of the other survey tools. Go to this support article dedicated to Typeform.
With all the other tools, you will need to create your own account and manage the data from that account. We don’t provide more support for the external tools than described in this support article.
Each tool allows you to get a shareable link that you can easily copy-paste to your project or project timeline phase.
STEP 2: Set up your survey project (phase) on the platform
To set up a survey on your platform, create a new project or a new phase in the timeline of a project. Selecting “Embed an external survey” as participation method.
You are prompted to select which Service, i.e. survey tool, you would like to use: (Typeform, Google Forms, …) and to input an ‘embed URL’. Below we give more details on how this embed url should exactly look like per tool.
The embed URL is essentially the link to the survey that you’ve created in your Typeform, Google Form or account of one of the other survey tools.
You need to have your survey link ready when creating your project - it cannot be left blank and added later. If you don't want to publish your survey just yet, you can put your project on "Draft" instead.
If you make changes to your survey after embedding the link, those changes will automatically be reflected in the survey on your platform.
STEP 3: Copy-paste your survey url in the ‘Embed URL’ frame and click save
STEP 4: - only for Typeform surveys - link user registration data with your survey data
Note that Typeform is the only external survey tool that allows us to pass custom variables to embedded surveys on your CitizenLab platform. This means that
Typeform is the only survey tool that allows us to invisibly track the email of users when they are logged in on the platform while taking the survey. All the other external survey tools don’t allow us to link your survey data to your user registration data on the platform.
Only when you use Typeform, the survey results will be directly downloadable on the platform and the data of your platform can be linked to the survey answers.
When a registered user takes a Typeform survey, you can automatically add either their email or their user ID to the survey results, by including a ‘hidden field’ when creating your survey. These hidden fields automatically add the user’s registration data (email or user ID) to the survey results. Read more on how to include hidden fields in a Typeform survey here.
Getting the Embed URL from your survey tool
Getting the survey embed URL from a Google Forms
In your Google Forms Survey, you can find the embed URL by clicking the “Send” button for your survey. You will be directed to a form where you specify where you would like to send your form. Select the tab labeled with a < > icon and copy the “Embed HTML” link.
Important: you do need to edit this link slightly by deleting the first part of the link that includes the text <iframe = src=" and deleting the last part of the link (starting from " width=).
E.g., the Survey Embed URL you copy, could be https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdfWc-llHDTkiyyM8ih-NNyfzqjjilVA73cLUOWISq0uMFV0Q/viewform?embedded=true
(the first part (<iframe = src=") and the remaining part (starting from " width=) are removed)
TIP: When using opinion scales in Google Forms, try to limit it to 6 options (e.g. from 0 to 5) to obtain an optimal mobile experience for your survey.
Getting the survey embed URL from a SurveyXact
In your SurveyXact Survey, select 'self-creation' in the 'Distribution' menu. Click on 'Enable self-creation' and click on the 'Link' tab. Copy the link shown there.
For this example, the Share Link is http://www.survey-xact.dk/LinkCollector?key=2H8CQ8F392C1.
Paste the link in your project (phase).
You don't see SurveyXact as one of the options in your Survey project? Reach out to our support team using the chat bubble in the admin panel.
Getting the survey embed URL from a Enalyzer
In your Enalyzer Survey, click on the “Share Link" to copy your embed URL.
For this example, the Share Link is https://surveys.enalyzer.com?pid=k4pubfm4.
Paste the link in your project (phase). You don't see Enalyzer as one of the options in your Survey project? Reach out to our support team using the chat bubble in the admin panel.
Getting the survey embed URL from a SmartSurvey
Normally you can just embed the link found on the "collect" tab.
However if this doesn't work, in the "Collect" tab you will need to press on "Web Embed" at the bottom right of the screenshot above. You will get this screen and press on "my embed code is not working" and use the new link given in the code that looks like the link before:
