Research Surveys and Data Compliance Guidelines in QuestionPro


Introduction

Virginia Tech is transitioning to Qualtrics as the university’s primary research survey platform. Starting April 30, 2026, users may not create new surveys in QuestionPro; however existing surveys will continue to work normally until April 15, 2027, when university-wide support for QuestionPro will end. This article contains guidance for QuestionPro survey owners to help them manage their surveys and export data ahead of this change.

Important QuestionPro Transition Dates

  • April 30, 2026: End of new QuestionPro survey creation
  • April 15, 2027: End of QuestionPro support. Please submit a request, if you have longitudinal and/or grant-funded research that will require exception to this cutoff in QuestionPro.

Instructions

Research Survey Management Steps

Step 1: Review Your QuestionPro Surveys

  1. Log in to QuestionPro (https://virginiatech.questionpro.com) and identify every survey created under your account.
  2. Consider the status of each survey:
    • Closed:
      • Surveys where data collection is finished should be closed.
    • Active: Surveys where data collection is currently in progress should be active.
      • Research data belongs to the university. The Principal Investigator (PI) is the assigned data steward. If you are not the PI of any research surveys under your account that have been used to collect research data:
        1. Ensure the survey is shared with the PI by following these QuestionPro instructions: https://www.questionpro.com/help/Surveyownership.html.
        2. Reach out to the PI and discuss next steps for the survey and its data.
        3. If you are unsure who is the PI submit an incident with 4Help.
      • Administrative or personal surveys can be closed at your discretion; however, please follow the specific instructions provided for admin surveys available at and consult with the department representative who requested the survey regarding data handling.

Step 2: Decide What to Do with Each Survey

For each survey, select one of the following options. Keep in mind that only users with ownership or shared access with at least edit permissions can take action on a survey and its data directly. If you are no longer the appropriate owner, or if the original owner has left the university, please submit this requestable item to request a change in survey ownership.

Retain completed research data

If you are a PI and your survey represents a completed research project, the data must be retained according to VT Policy 2000 (https://policies.vt.edu/2000.pdf) and the Library of Virginia record retention requirements for state agencies (https://lib.vt.edu/find-borrow/rms.html).

  • VT Policy 2000, in line with the Library of Virginia requirements, requires that research technical data be retained for at least five years after the last action, such as publication, final report, or project closure.  Note that there might be additional retention requirements per contracts with project sponsors.   
  • Research data retention requirements still apply even if a survey is closed.

Steps to Download and Retain Research

  1. Download survey questions, the raw response data, and any QuestionPro analysis files to a Virginia Tech–managed storage location, such as:
    • Virginia Tech SharePoint or Teams sites
    • Departmental file shares or servers
    • Virginia Tech managed machines
  2. IMPORTANT: surveys and response data must be downloaded separately; downloading the survey does NOT download the survey’s response data.
  3. For human subject research data, storage and retention must align with the approved IRB protocol.
  4. Follow the QuestionPro instructions on how to download survey and survey data:

Ongoing research projects

If your survey is still active:

  1. Recreate your survey questions in Qualtrics, follow these instructions:
  2. If migrating your survey to Qualtrics would significantly disrupt your study, please submit this request for consideration to continue using QuestionPro. Please note that extensions are not guaranteed and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Close surveys if data collection is complete.

  1. Closing a survey, rather than deleting it, ensures that data can be accessed and exported.
  2. Surveys should only be deleted if they were created for testing, practice, or demonstration purposes, or if you have already downloaded and secured the data and survey information in a secure VT managed location. All administrative surveys are subject to University Policy 2000 (Management of University Records) retention requirements and should not be deleted without verifying the required record lifecycle.
  3. How to delete survey data in QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com/help/delete-survey-data.html 

Step 3: Take Action

Complete your review and data handling before April 15, 2027, when university-wide QuestionPro support will end.

For questions or assistance, contact 4Help IT Support at https://4help.vt.edu/  or visit the following resources:

FAQ 

What if I am not the survey owner, but I am responsible for the survey data?

Check with the owner to ensure the survey has been shared with you with Edit or Analyze permissions. If you have the appropriate access level, you may then close the survey and download the response data. If not, you can contact the listed owner of the survey in QuestionPro to coordinate the transfer or download of the data to you. If the listed owner is no longer with the university,  If you are no longer the appropriate owner, or if the original owner has left the university, please submit this requestable item to request a change in survey ownership.

Can ownership of a survey be transferred to another Virginia Tech researcher before QuestionPro is retired?

Yes. Ownership can be transferred to another active Virginia Tech account holder during the transition period. QuestionPro instructions on changing survey ownership: https://www.questionpro.com/help/Surveyownership.html 

What happens if I am aware that a survey exists, but the survey owner has left Virginia Tech and no one else has access?

Please submit this requestable item, to have the survey ownership transferred to an active Virginia Tech employee.

How long do I need to retain survey data?

The Virginia Libraries retention schedule requires research records to be retained for at least five years after the last action on the project (such as publication, final report, or project closure). For human subjects research, retention must also comply with the approved IRB protocol and any contractual requirements from the sponsor.

Where should I store survey data after downloading it from QuestionPro?

Use Virginia Tech–managed storage options, such as:

  • University-managed network drives
  • Virginia Tech SharePoint or Teams sites
  • Departmental file shares or servers

Can I store survey data in a personal cloud account (e.g., personal (non VT) Google Drive, Dropbox)?

No. Research data must be stored in Virginia Tech–managed and approved environments to comply with university data security and record retention requirements. Research data from human subjects must be secured in line with the protocol approved by IRB.

What if my survey includes sensitive or restricted data?

Consult your IRB protocol and the Virginia Tech Data Risk Classification Standard to ensure that data are downloaded and stored according to the appropriate security level. If you are unsure, contact the Privacy and Research Data Protection Program at prdp@vt.edu.