This page provides an overview of frequently used terms and concepts that appear throughout this website.
The explanations below are intended to clarify their meaning and ensure a consistent understanding of the terminology used.
| Term | Description |
| Respondent | A person who fills in the questionnaire. A respondent is typically invited via email containing an URL to the questionnaire and a start code. |
| User | A person who uses the DESAN Software, for example to create and edit a questionnaire. |
| Start code | A unique code that a respondent receives together with a URL. It can be used to log in to the survey and ensures that the response is linked to the correct sample. |
| Questionnaire | A collection of questions, created for research purposes. These can be open questions, dropdown lists, etc. |
| Sample | Set of units (usually individuals) that are invited to complete a questionnaire, and data about those units (like contact information, gender, age, department) that can be used to tailor questions or for analysis. |
| Administrator | A person with the role of Administrator has full access to the system and can edit questionnaires, manage samples, etc. |
| Response | The data that is gathered after a respondent has answered questions in the questionnaire is called the Response and can be used for analysing purposes. |
| Version (of a questionnaire) | When a user saves, and publishes, changes to a questionnaire a new version is created. |
| Routing (in a questionnaire) | Different respondents can get different questions depending on the given answers or based on sample fields. A respondent who is over the age of 50 may see different questions than a 20-year-old respondent. Routing is the process of showing the respondent the right questions. |
| Node | An item in a questionnaire, for instance a Question or a Goto statement. Nodes can be represented in a tree, that can be collapsed and expanded. |
| Goto statements | This is a type of node which can be used to send the user to a specific question depending on a given answer or sample value. |