Survey scanning and OMR data capture

We turn paper survey and questionnaire responses into structured data, combining OMR scanning of closed answers with operator checks and keyed open responses.

Completed forms can reach us directly from respondents or in bulk from your organisation and participating sites. Receipt and processing follow the agreed schedule, independently of how the forms were originally distributed.

More than 4 million sheets scanned since 2007. That experience covers paper surveys, questionnaires, forms, tests and assessments processed on our Scantron equipment.

What can be captured

Ticks, filled boxes, rating scales and multiple-choice answers are read by optical mark recognition (OMR) on Scantron equipment. Pen or pencil both read. Automated scanning requires forms we design and print to Scantron specifications; for other forms, see existing forms and smaller projects below.

How responses are checked

Before any data is released, three kinds of field are clipped as images and shown to an operator on screen for visual confirmation:

• Critical fields you've nominated, such as a respondent ID, a consent question or anything where a misread would matter more than usual
• Blanks, so a skipped question is recorded as skipped, not as a scanner miss
• Double marks, meaning single-answer questions with more than one mark, resolved by a person rather than a rule

Every scannable form gets its own scanning application in ScanTools. It records where each response area is, whether it's closed or open, what value each answer carries, and which fields go to an operator. The printed form is test-scanned in-house before distribution, and the application is checked again on the first real batch of returns. Rules for interpreting blanks and multiple marks are agreed with you in writing and applied to the whole run.

Handwriting and open-ended answers

Open-ended answers are clipped as images and keyed by our operators, then delivered alongside the closed-response data. Spelling is corrected by default, or entered exactly as written if you prefer. The more closed questions your form has, the faster and cheaper this step runs.

Data files, PDF images and traceability

For scanned projects, you receive a structured data file and a full-page PDF of every returned form, one file per form, linked from its data row. This puts the original page, including handwriting, one click from any value. See Excel and CSV data delivery for the file structure and reporting options.

Every sheet is printed with a batch and serial number as it's scanned, so each row in your data leads back to one physical sheet. Counts are reconciled through receipt, scanning and data delivery, with outward distribution records available where CDS arranged dispatch. Any processing discrepancy is resolved before the data goes to you.

Existing forms and smaller projects

An existing questionnaire can be rebuilt before printing for automated scanning. We do not accept externally designed or printed forms for that process.

Scanner set-up has a fixed cost: artwork compliance, the scanning application and testing. For a small run, depending on the form and how many closed responses each page carries, manual data entry may cost less. Your existing form can then be used as it stands. We quote whichever method costs you less.

PDF images are included for scanned projects. For manually keyed projects, images can be supplied by agreement at additional cost. Every manually keyed form is still numbered by batch and serial so any row can be checked against the paper.