Yes, you can add tags to organize and filter your survey responses. Tags help you categorize data by location, date, event, instructor, or any criteria relevant to your research. This makes it easier to analyze specific subsets of your data.

Tagging overview

Tags serve as labels that help you:

• Group responses by collection method or source
• Filter data for specific analysis
• Track responses across different locations or time periods
• Identify test data or special cases
• Export filtered datasets based on categories

Tagging methods comparison

Your tagging options depend on whether you use unique page marking:

Without unique page marking

• Create multiple survey versions
• Tag after data collection

With unique page marking

• Set batch numbers when printing
• Add identifier prefixes
• Create multiple survey versions
• Use prefill forms (advanced)
• Tag after data collection

Method 1: Tag before data collection

Pre-collection tagging works best for paper surveys with unique page marking. This approach embeds tags directly into printed forms.

Set batch number when generating copies

Batch numbers identify groups of surveys printed together:

1. Navigate to the Print tab
2. Enable unique page marking
3. Click Generate to start creating PDFs
4. Enter a batch label after generation starts
5. Each form in that batch carries this identifier

Use cases: Track forms by print date, distribution location, or event

Set identifier prefix when generating copies

Prefixes customize the unique identifiers on each page:

1. Enable unique page marking in Print settings
2. Enter a prefix (letters, underscores, dashes only)
3. Generate your copies

Example: Prefix "NYC_" creates identifiers NYC_1, NYC_2, NYC_3...

Use cases: Identify surveys by location, department, or study phase

Create multiple survey versions

Survey versions let you create variations with built-in tags:

1. Go to the Print tab
2. Click "Create Version"
3. Name each version descriptively
4. Enable "Advanced Versioning" for easy renaming

Important: Update all versions when modifying survey questions

Use prefill forms (Advanced)

Prefill forms embed respondent information directly into forms. This advanced feature requires technical setup but provides the most detailed tagging.

Method 2: Tag after data collection

Post-collection tagging works for all survey types and collection methods.

Web upload tagging

Add tags during the upload process:

1. Scan your completed surveys
2. Click "Upload" in your survey dashboard
3. Enter a tag in the tag field
4. Complete the upload

Email upload tagging

Use the +plus notation in email addresses:

• Base email: demo@upload.papersurvey.io
• Tagged email: demo+classroom1@upload.papersurvey.io

The system extracts "classroom1" as the tag automatically.

Web survey tagging

Add tags via URL parameters:

https://www.papersurvey.io/s/52k6rk?tag=spring2024

Share different URLs with different groups to automatically tag responses.

API and integration tagging

• Zapier: Default tag "zapier"
• API: Default tag "api"
• Mobile app: Default tag "mobile_app"

Custom tags aren't available for these methods; use bulk updates afterward.

Updating existing tags

Bulk tag updates

To change tags for existing responses:

1. Go to your Responses page
2. Click "Edit" mode
3. Select responses using checkboxes
4. Click "Bulk Actions" → "Update Tags"
5. Enter the new tag and confirm

Best practices

Planning your tag structure

1. Be consistent: Use standardized naming conventions
2. Keep it simple: Short, descriptive tags work best
3. Document your system: Maintain a list of tags and their meanings
4. Test first: Try your tagging approach with a small batch

Common tagging strategies

• By location: city_name, building_code, room_number
• By time: 2024_Q1, march_2024, week_12
• By group: control_group, treatment_A, pilot_study
• By status: completed, partial, test_data
• By collector: john_smith, team_alpha, vendor_name

Tag management tips

Filtering by tags

1. Use the filter option in Responses view
2. Select one or multiple tags
3. Export filtered data for analysis
4. Create saved views for common filters

Combining tags

While each response has one primary tag, you can:

• Export data and add secondary classifications
• Use prefill forms for multiple data points
• Combine tags with other fields for complex filtering

Troubleshooting

Tags not appearing

• Verify correct email format for email uploads
• Check URL parameters for web surveys
• Ensure batch/prefix settings before printing
• Refresh the page after bulk updates

Wrong tags applied

• Use bulk update to correct multiple responses
• Filter by incorrect tag first
• Select all and apply correct tag
• Document the change for audit trail

For advanced tagging strategies or custom solutions, contact our support team.