Here are some of the best questions for a college doctoral student survey about research progress, plus tips on crafting them. With Specific, you can build your own survey in seconds—and harness AI for smarter, more meaningful insights.
Best open-ended questions for college doctoral student survey about research progress
Open-ended questions let doctoral students share nuanced perspectives, uncover challenges, and express needs that closed questions might miss. They work best when you want candid feedback, unexpected insights, or a richer understanding of student experiences. In fact, with studies showing that 71% of college students use AI to help with research, assignments, and brainstorming, open questions can surface how these tools fit into academic progress and pain points. [2]
What has been your biggest breakthrough or accomplishment in your research this semester?
What specific challenges have slowed your research progress recently?
Can you describe the support or resources that have been most helpful in your research?
What obstacles do you face when accessing the data, materials, or equipment you need?
How has your relationship with your advisor or committee influenced your progress?
What new methods or tools (including AI) have you integrated into your workflow?
How do you balance time spent on research with teaching, publishing, or personal obligations?
What skills or training do you wish you’d received earlier in your doctoral journey?
Can you describe a moment when feedback (from peers, advisors, or conferences) significantly shaped your direction?
What would enable you to make faster or more impactful progress in your research?
Best single-select multiple-choice questions for college doctoral student survey about research progress
Single-select multiple-choice questions are invaluable for quantifying trends quickly, benchmarking progress, or starting a larger conversation. Many doctoral students might be more comfortable selecting a relevant answer before sharing a deeper story—a great approach when you want structured data and a natural lead-in to follow-ups.
Question: How would you describe your current stage in the research process?
Proposal development
Data collection
Data analysis
Writing up results
Other
Question: In the past semester, how often have you encountered research setbacks?
Rarely
Occasionally
Frequently
Almost every week
Question: Which of the following best describes your primary source of research support?
Advisor or supervisor
Lab or research group
University resources
Online/AI tools
Other
When to followup with "why?" Always consider asking “why?” after a student selects an answer, especially with choices like “frequently” or “other.” For example, if a student indicates they frequently experience setbacks, a smart follow-up such as “Why do you think these setbacks happen?” will clarify root causes and fuel actionable insights.
When and why to add the "Other" choice? If your list isn’t exhaustive, always add “Other.” Letting students specify additional answers through a follow-up question often uncovers overlooked challenges or unexpected resources—these can be crucial for guiding future support or policy changes.
NPS-type question for research progress
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is commonly used to measure satisfaction and loyalty, but it’s also powerful for assessing how likely doctoral students are to recommend their research program based on their progress. This can shine a light on systemic problems or highlight aspects of the culture or support system that add real value. To quickly generate an NPS survey tailored for college doctoral students, try this NPS survey builder.
The power of follow-up questions
Follow-up questions are at the core of deeper feedback, turning a simple survey into a genuine, human-like conversation. Specific’s AI-powered follow-ups build on initial answers in real time, just like an expert interviewer would, so you get the full picture instead of just surface details—even when students’ initial responses are vague. They save you hours compared to email chains or manual clarifications, and the conversation feels smooth for every doctoral student.
Doctoral student: “Accessing resources can be tough.”
AI follow-up: “Which resources have been hardest for you to access—datasets, funding, lab equipment, or something else?”
How many followups to ask? You generally only need 2-3 targeted follow-ups to get full context; it’s smart to let respondents move forward once you have actionable details. With Specific, you can set these preferences to fit your survey's depth and pacing.
This makes it a conversational survey: The dynamic, context-aware exchanges make respondents feel heard, resulting in richer, more complete answers—this is the essence of conversational surveys.
AI-powered response analysis is easy: Even if you collect a lot of unstructured qualitative data, analyzing responses is quick with AI-powered survey response analysis tools. Use them to find key patterns, themes, and unexpected ideas in your college doctoral student survey results.
Try generating a survey with automated followups—it’s a new approach, but the clarity and insight will surprise you.
How to prompt ChatGPT for great doctoral research progress questions
If you want to use ChatGPT or another GPT-based tool to brainstorm questions, a well-crafted prompt makes a big difference. Start with context, audience, and your goal.
Begin with a simple, direct prompt:
Suggest 10 open-ended questions for college doctoral student survey about research progress.
But always give more context when you can; AI does better with detail. Try:
I’m building a survey for doctoral students to understand their research progress and what helps or hinders them. Our university supports all fields and we want actionable ideas for improvements. Suggest 10 open-ended questions.
To ensure your questions have thematic coverage, ask:
Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.
If you spot categories (like “advisor support” or “AI tool adoption”), follow up with:
Generate 10 questions for categories “advisor support” and “technology tools”.
What is a conversational survey?
A conversational survey feels like a real chat, not a static form. The AI responds in real time, asking clarifying or follow-up questions, and builds a dialogue—respondents are more open and honest when the experience feels natural and dynamic. This is especially important given the shifting landscape of doctoral research: A 2024 study revealed that 86% of students already use artificial intelligence in their studies—with 24% using it daily—making familiarity with chat-based, intelligent systems especially high among this audience. [1]
Compare conversational survey creation with traditional manual methods:
Manual Surveys | AI-Generated, Conversational Surveys (with Specific) |
|---|---|
Requires manual question writing, form setup, logic building | Survey built instantly from a prompt |
Static—no dynamic follow-up | Asks probing questions based on each response |
Hard to personalize, limited engagement | Feels like a natural chat; high completion rates |
Manual analysis of qualitative responses | AI-summarized responses and themes |
Why use AI for college doctoral student surveys? The adoption of AI in higher education is exploding. In 2024, 56% of college students reported using AI for assignments or exams, and more than half said their coursework requires it. [3] This means your audience is ready for, and often expects, smart automation in feedback tools. For doctoral research-specific surveys, using an AI survey example generator brings speed, quality, and relevance to your question set—and enables you to adapt on the fly. Try the how-to guide for building doctoral student surveys to see how seamless this can be.
Specific delivers the best-in-class conversational survey experience, both for creators and for doctoral students who will appreciate a smooth, interactive feedback process. You’re not just gathering more data—you’re building trust and gathering the depth needed for lasting change.
See this research progress survey example now
Ready to experience smarter surveys? See a research progress survey example for doctoral students and discover how conversational AI unlocks deeper, clearer insights into academic journeys. Create your own in moments—capture what truly matters.