Questionnaires and discussion guides:

• should be balanced and objective
• provide an environment where the respondent is free to state their opinion
• accommodate respondent level of understanding or knowledge
• provide clarity on what is expected
• can explore hypothetical responses to stimulus

Questions must:

• be limited to the subject of the study
• not be promotional in any way
• not request or encourage any change in behaviour or attitude
• not be misleading or leading in nature

Screeners should be used purely for recruitment purposes and not data collection

Use of brand names – market research materials must:

• avoid brand names as much as possible. Using them unnecessarily or repeatedly could make your MR look like promotion
• not use the brand name of an unlicensed product (unless it’s being tested alongside a range of options)
• treat generic names with the same caution as brand names if they could identify an individual medicine 
• not over-emphasise claims or product messages
• avoid unnecessary, repeated use of the brand name

You must also limit the collection of personal data to only that which is necessary for the purposes of the work

Refer to the following sections of the Guidelines for further information:

Section E5.1: Question and questionnaire design

Section E5.2: Disguised promotion