Third-party and External Surveys

There can be valid reasons to conduct a survey on campus using tools other than the approved survey tools. If you are a Clemson employee and wish to use a third-party vendor or other survey software to administer your survey, the resources on this page will assist you in planning for your survey.

What are Third-Party Surveys?

Third-party surveys refer to surveys of students or employees conducted by an external entity at the request of a Clemson department or unit. There are two primary categories of third-party surveys. The first involves custom surveys where an external consultant collaborates closely with a university sponsor to create and administer surveys tailored to meet specific objectives.

The second category of third-party surveys comprises multi-institutional surveys. Clemson participates in these surveys to assess institutional effectiveness across multiple domains. The surveys' broad implementation make them useful for comparative assessment. These surveys typically have oversight from an external institutional review board. Notable examples of third-party, multi-institutional survey include the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).

In both types of third-party surveys, formal agreements are made before the survey is conducted. These agreements dictate what data will be shared with the survey vendor, as well as the form and nature of the results delivered to Clemson.

What are External Surveys?

External surveys, unlike third-party surveys, are initiated by external entities. While their objectives might align with university interests, the survey's primary purpose serves an external entity, not the university. This can be true even if there is a Clemson sponsor or results are shared with the university. These surveys commonly arise from non-Clemson researchers seeking to include Clemson as a research site.

External surveys must be explicitly approved by the appropriate data trustee for the population in question, are only accommodated in certain circumstances and subject to survey calendar availability. Organizations external to the university that wish to distribute their survey to Clemson students or employees should contact surveys@clemson.edu for guidance on how to submit your survey for consideration.

Is it a Third-party or an External Survey?

To determine whether a survey falls under the category of a third-party or an external survey, consider the following criteria:
  • Purpose: Does the stated purpose of the survey further the university's mission? If the survey primarily benefits an entity other than the university, it's likely an external survey.
  • Formal Agreement: Is there a formal agreement between the university and the survey administrator? Typically, third-party surveys involve a formal contract outlining a project timeline, roles, and responsibilities for survey administration.
  • Data Ownership: Will Clemson own the collected data? If Clemson does not share or retain ownership, the survey might not directly benefit the university.

Considerations When Working with External Entities

  • Data privacy: What data must you share with the third party to effectively conduct the survey?
  • Data ownership: Clarify in writing with the third party who owns the survey data.
  • Data management: Does the third party have adequate procedures and safeguards in place to protect the integrity of the data?

More guidance can be found in Privacy Considerations When Engaging Vendors for Third-Party Administered Surveys.

All requests to distribute a survey to students or employees should be submitted here: Request to Distribute a Survey at Clemson.