Sometimes a single respondent's data ends up split across multiple entries. This can happen when paper surveys are scanned in separate batches or when test responses need consolidation before analysis. PaperSurvey's merge feature lets you combine these entries into one unified response in just a few steps.
When to Use Response Merging
Response merging is helpful when paper surveys were scanned in separate batches but belong to one respondent, or when test responses need consolidation before analysis.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Enable edit mode
Navigate to your survey's responses page and click the "Edit" button in the bottom-right corner.
2. Select responses to merge
Check the boxes next to each response you want to combine. You can select multiple responses that belong together.
3. Merge the selected responses
Click the "Bulk Actions" button and select "Merge into One" from the dropdown menu.
How Merging Works
When you merge responses, all selected entries combine into a single response and the system preserves data from all selected entries. The entry you selected first becomes the one everything is merged into, and the rest are removed after the merge. If the same question was answered in more than one entry, only the last uploaded non-empty response is kept. Empty responses are dropped in favor of any non-empty answer, and uploaded pages from every selected entry are moved onto the merged entry.
Important Considerations
Data preservation
Review responses before merging to ensure they actually belong together. The merge action cannot be undone automatically, so it is a good idea to export your data before merging if you need a backup.