Clear instructions help respondents complete your survey correctly on the first attempt. PaperSurvey allows you to add custom instructions in multiple locations, from page footers to individual questions, ensuring participants understand how to answer each question type.
Adding footer instructions
The footer area provides space for general survey instructions that appear on every page:
- Navigate to Survey Settings
- Locate the footer text fields:
- Footer Left for instructions on the left side
- Footer Center for central instructions
- Footer Right for right-side instructions
- Enter your custom text in any or all fields
- Save your changes
Using instruction shortcodes
PaperSurvey provides visual shortcodes to demonstrate how respondents should mark their responses:
[check]shows a filled checkbox[multicheck]displays a multiple checkbox example[singlecheck]shows a single selection example
These shortcodes render as visual examples in the printed survey, making it immediately clear how to respond.
Where to add instructions
Beyond footers, consider adding instructions in these locations:
- Survey introduction for an overview and general guidelines
- Section headers for instructions specific to a question group
- Individual questions using the "Extra help text" field
- Thank you message for next steps or submission guidance