"Other Specify" Response

If a Pick One or Check Each question contains an “other” response, you may want the respondent to specify what that other response is. QDS does not include a response type for “other specify”; however, you can create this option by adding a Skip Element and Text type Data Element.

Check Each Responses

For a Check Each question regarding race, you might have the following:

Which of the following best describes your race? [Check all that apply]

(Variable name = RACE)

  1. White
  2. Black or African American
  3. Asian
  4. Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
  5. American Indian or Alaska Native
  6. Other (Please Specify ____________________________)

To create the “other specify” option:

  1. Add Data Element (such as RACE) with a check each response type
  2. Add a Skip Element to skip over the “specify” question if other was not selected. For the example above, enter "RACEF ^= 1" (See Check Each Variables)
  3. Add a Data Element with a response type of Text

Pick One Responses

For a pick one question regarding race, you might have the following :

Which of the following best describes your race? [Choose only one]

(Variable name = RACE)

  1. White
  2. Black or African American
  3. Asian
  4. Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
  5. American Indian or Alaska Native
  6. Other (Please Specify ____________________________)

To create the “other specify” option:

  1. Add Data Element (such as RACE) with a check each response type
  2. Add a Skip Element to skip over the “specify” question if other was not selected. For the example above, enter "RACE ^= 6"
  3. Add a Data Element with a response type of Text

On paper questionnaires, the other specify information would be written on the form and entered during the Data Entry process. In an automated interview (ACASI, CAPI, or Web Module) the text would be typed in by the respondent.