ServiceLimeSurvey

Plan, conduct and analyze online surveys for administration, study, teaching and research

With the online survey system LimeSurvey, you can create and conduct online surveys. It is also possible to evaluate the results of the survey, as well as export the data into CSV or Excel formats. his software solution is locally hosted platform at Heidelberg University.

Target group

Students
University employees
Researchers
Instructors
Doctoral candidates

Use

Students

e.g. scientific surveys for terms papers and theses

Employees

e.g. departmental surveys

Researchers

e.g. scientific surveys for research projects

Instructors

e.g. course surveys (but not for teacher evaluations)

Doctoral candidates

e.g. scientific surveys for doctoral projects

Access and requirements

This software can be used for a variety of purposes in administration, study, teaching and research; however, it cannot be used for teaching evaluations nor for private or commercial uses.

Before you can create your survey, you must complete a the linked registration form (to use LimeSurvey as a survey administrator) and confirm that you acknowledge and agree to the terms of service.

The privacy statement (German) outlines how we will handle your personal information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Table filters

Table

Question	Answer

Question	Answer
How do I work on a survey with another person?	You can collaborate on a survey without giving another person your username and password or using a shared ID. Just follow these steps: Create a survey. Request the creation of a LimeSurvey user group at the URZ IT service. For this purpose, state the name of the group as well as the first and last name of the persons to be authorized and their Uni-ID (or project number). Once the group is set up, you can control permissions yourself via the “Survey Permissions” menu item. Please note: It is not relevant for granting authorization whether the person to be authorized is a LimeSurvey survey administrator or not. Detailed instructions are linked here (in German).
How do I create anonymous surveys?	If your survey should be conducted anonymously, i.e. you are not saving any personal information about the survey participants, then use the following settings: Anonymized survey:  For open surveys: Yes For closed surveys: No Save IP address: No Save referrer URL: No The following must also apply: For closed surveys, tokens, also called "participants", must be so-called “dummy” tokens, i.e. without a name or email address. In this case, the e-mails must be sent independently from LimeSurvey. (For open surveys there are no tokens.) The participants will not be allowed to save in the middle of the survey, as in order to do this and continue the survey at a later time, the IP address of the participant must be saved. Goggle Analytics and Google Maps are not activated. (Deactivated at the URZ by default.) More detailed instructions are linked in the "How-tos".
How do I export a survey?	Please refer to the linked how-to for this information.
Does LimeSurvey use cookies?	Yes, LimeSurvey uses two session cookies by default: PHPSESSID and YII_CSRF_TOKEN. These cookies are necessary for the operation of LimeSurvey and are deleted when the browser session is closed. Personal data is not collected in the process. Therefore, it is not necessary - according to current regulations - to use a cookie consent form: https://www.limesurvey.org/support/faq/39-data-protection-and-policy/521-do-i-need-to-show-a-cookie-consent-form-inside-limesurvey
Can I change my LimeSurvey password?	No, even though “Forgot password?” appears on the bottom right of the LimeSurvey login page, https://limesurvey.urz.uni-heidelberg.de/admin/. When you click on it and and enter your username and email address, no email will be sent from the system. This is because we use the LDAP method for authentication, i.e. you use your Uni ID and the corresponding password, and LimeSurvey checks through the AD (Active Directory) if it is a valid username and the correct password. You can only change your Uni ID password via the following page: https://online-services.urz.uni-heidelberg.de/id/iam_set_pw.php
What is the maximum survey size? Or more specifically: What is the maximum number of questions a survey can have?	Here at the Computing Center, we use a MySQL InnoDB as the database to store the question fields and answers. This is inherently limited to 1000 columns and cannot be extended. This means a survey can have a maximum of 1000 fields, whereby it should be noted that a single matrix type question quickly consumes several columns (i.e. number of the subquestions multiplied by the number of answer options). The good news: The number of survey participants, on the other hand, is virtually limitless and is only restricted by the amount of storage space available to us. For more information about this, please see: https://manual.limesurvey.org/General_FAQ#What_limitations_does_LimeSurvey_have...
Can I contact the Data Protection department at Heidelberg University for advice on data protection and privacy for student research projects?	The answer to this question depends on who has responsibility for the processing of personal data according to data protection regulations: If this responsibility lies with Heidelberg University, then the answer is yes; if, on the other hand, the responsibility lies with the student themselves, then the answer is no. Since the Data Protection office of Heidelberg University (https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/institutions/university-administration/data-protection) concurs with Stuttgart University's understanding on this issue, please refer to the ZENDAS website (DE) linked here for further information.
Can I attach a PDF or other document to the invitation email?	Unfortunately not, LimeSurvey does not support file attachments for the invitation emails. However, you can place the desired documents in a heiBOX library and include the download links in the invitation text. This procedure also helps to save space on the mail server.
What should I do if a LimeSurvey poll is still active but I, as its owner, have to leave the university (or department)?	Transfer ownership of the survey to another LimeSurvey survey admin. If you share a LimeSurvey user group with the new owner, you can do this yourself via the menu option "General settings". If no user group has been set up, the LimeSurvey administrators at the Computing centre will do it for you. For this purpose, write an email to the IT-Service of the Computing centre (it-service(at)uni-heidelberg.de) with the future owner in copy (CC), indicating the survey ID and the Uni ID of the new owner. After the transfer, you still have to adjust the name of the poll owner, the administrator name(s) and the administrator and bounce email addresses via the menu under "General settings".
Can surveys be created with the university's corporate design?	Yes! To do this, choose the “fruity” design template with the “Apple Blossom” variant. In this template, the logo has been integrated and the colours are very similar to those of the original CD.