What Identifiers Can I Use?

PaperSurvey supports different types of identifiers to help you track and organize survey copies and responses.

Automatic identifiers

By default, PaperSurvey assigns a unique identifier to each entry automatically. You do not need to configure anything for basic tracking.

Custom identifiers in the print dialog

When you print copies of a survey with unique page marking from its Print tab, Advanced Settings in the Print survey copies dialog offers Enter Custom Identifiers. Type your own identifiers there, separated by commas, one per copy. They may contain letters, numbers and the characters /, - and @, up to 32 characters each, and each must be unique.

Custom identifiers with prefill lists

When you print survey copies from a prefill list, you can assign your own identifiers:

• Leave the identifier field blank and PaperSurvey will generate one automatically
• Provide a unique value from your spreadsheet to match responses with your existing records (e.g., student ID, employee number, case reference)

Custom identifiers must be unique for each copy and can be up to 32 characters long. If you are generating multiple copies per row, automatic identifiers will be used instead.

Identifier prefixes

When generating copies with automatic identifiers, you can set an Identifier prefix, under Advanced Settings in the print dialog, to tell different print runs apart. For example, with the prefix "ABC_", copies are numbered ABC_1, ABC_2, ABC_3, and the next batch with the same prefix continues from ABC_4. Prefixes can contain letters, numbers, underscores, and dashes.

Public ID

Each entry receives a public ID that is visible in the responses list. This is a human-readable identifier that makes it easy to reference specific responses. Printed paper copies are numbered sequentially (e.g., 1, 2, 3, or with your chosen prefix, such as ABC_1), web submissions receive identifiers like WEB_1, and manually entered responses like MANUAL_1.

Using identifiers to match data

If you have an external database or spreadsheet, custom identifiers let you match PaperSurvey responses back to your records. For example:

1. Export your list of participant IDs to a spreadsheet
2. Upload the spreadsheet as a prefill list
3. Map the ID column as the identifier
4. After processing, export responses and join on the identifier column

Related articles

• Unique Paper Survey Identifiers for more on unique page marking
• How to Prefill Survey Data for prefill lists and the survey's Prefill page