Here are some answers to common questions you may have about completing one of our online health questionnaires.
Identity check module
What is the identity check module and why do I have to complete it each time I start or restart a questionnaire?
Your questionnaire and web link that we have sent to you by email are specific to you, so that we can add the data from the questionnaire to other data that you have provided to us previously.
Sometimes participants may share devices or email addresses with other members of their household, which may cause one participant to answer a questionnaire intended for another. We ask you to complete an identity check based on your full date of birth each time you start the questionnaire to check that it is the right person in the household trying to complete the questionnaire.
What happens if I realise that I have completed someone else’s questionnaire?
If you realise that you have completed a questionnaire intended for another UK Biobank participant (for example, someone who shares a device or email address with you), please let our Participant Resource Centre know by calling 0800 0 276 276 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm).
Modules
Why is the questionnaire split up into sections?
UK Biobank is used by researchers around the world for use in their own research. By dividing the questions up into sections, or modules, researchers can easily access only the information that is relevant to their studies.
Why can’t I write a comment at the end of each section to tell you more about my experience of that particular issue?
We have provided a comments box at the end of the questionnaire for you to tell us about anything else. If an issue comes up as you are working through the survey, please make a note of it and include it in the comments box at the end. Please note that any comments will not be responded to directly.
If you would like to tell us something that requires our immediate attention or action, please call our Participant Resource Centre on 0800 0 276 276 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm).
Common issues
I have run into a technical issue with the system whilst trying to complete a questionnaire – how can I report it and what information do I need to provide?
If you encounter technical difficulties when completing a questionnaire, please email [email protected] with the following information:
- The date and time you encountered the issue
- The device you were using (for example, the brand and model of your desktop computer, laptop, phone or tablet)
- Your device’s operating system (for example, Windows, iOS [Apple], Android)
- Your internet browser (for example, Safari, Firefox, Chrome)
- A screenshot or photograph of the problem, if possible. If not, please give details of which page you were attempting to access and what the issue was.
This will help our IT team to try and resolve the problem for you and other participants.
If you are unable to supply this information, please call the Participant Resource Centre (PRC) on 0800 0 276 276 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm) to discuss the issue.
I am accessing the questionnaire on my smartphone but am finding it difficult to read the text as it is not displaying correctly. What should I do?
The way that your mobile phone has been set up (via its ‘settings’) can affect the way that the questionnaire is displayed. For example, if you have altered the text size from the default setting to make the text larger, this may have an impact upon how the questionnaire displays on your phone.
If you are finding that this is causing problems when completing the questionnaire, if it is possible, we recommend using a desktop computer or a laptop.
Why can’t I use the browser back arrow to return to the previous page?
If you use the browser back button, we cannot guarantee that the answers you have already provided will display correctly. Please only use the navigation buttons on the questionnaire itself if you wish to move backwards and forwards through the questionnaire, not browser buttons.
I have gone back to a previous page to check my answers, and when I come back to the page I was on, my answers have not saved.
Our online questionnaires are designed so that you have to click the ‘save/continue’ button at the bottom of each page to ensure that your answers for that page are saved. If you go back to a previous page without clicking ‘save/continue’ on your current page, the answers you have already given for the current page will not be saved and you will have to enter the information again.
I have clicked ‘save/continue’ but the questionnaire will not progress to the next page.
Some questionnaires will require you to put an answer, even if that answer is ‘do not know’/’prefer not to say’ or similar.
If you have not answered one or more questions on the page, there will likely be some highlighted text on the page alerting you to the questions that require an answer. When you click on the ‘save/continue’ button after doing this, the system should allow you to proceed to the next stage.
I do not want to add a comment, but the ‘End page’ section has not turned green on the menu. What should I do?
Please open the section and then simply click ‘save/continue’. It is important that you complete all sections of the questionnaire, including the comment section, otherwise you will continue to receive our automated reminders asking you to finish it.
Contacting us
My question has not been answered by the above questions, what can I do?
If you would like to ask a question which is not included above, please contact our Participant Resource Centre on 0800 0 276 276 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm).
I was asked for a question number when I called the Participant Resource Centre with a query. Where can I find it on the questionnaire?
Please click on the ‘show question numbers’ button (situated towards the bottom of the page, after the block of questions) to display the question numbers.
I would like to receive a copy of the whole questionnaire once I have completed it. Is this possible?
We are not able to provide participants with a copy of the questionnaire, however anonymised results will be published on our data browser, Showcase, once the questionnaire data releases to researchers.
Open questionnaires
This questionnaire gathers more information about experiences of chronic pain.
This questionnaire is gathering information on visualisation and memory retention.
This questionnaire is gathering information to understand how social interactions, focus, and the quality of relationships impact health and wellbeing.
This questionnaire is gathering information to understand the factors that lead to poor sleep and the consequences of sleep disruption.
This questionnaire is gathering more information about mental health and wellbeing.