GAO internal guidance/resource – 7/17/17
Using Fillable PDF Forms as a Data Collection Method – Update February 2014
Using Fillable PDF Forms as a Data Collection Method
Abstract: This document identifies general principles to consider when using fillable PDF forms
as a data collection method. It also outlines a set of procedures for creating and distributing
forms and extracting data from completed forms into Excel
.
This is not official ARM guidance. GAO specialists or analysts considering fillable PDF forms as
a data collection method should be aware of current policy and procedures for conducting
questionnaire surveys. Analysts are reminded that a key step in GAO’s Quality Assurance
Framework is to consult with ARM or other qualified team experts to discuss data collection
strategies, including the selection of appropriate software tools, before beginning data
collection.
Adobe software that can create fillable PDF forms exists on most GAO computers making it
accessible to staff. These forms can be an appropriate mode of data collection for both internal
and external questionnaires. However, care should be taken when designing and distributing
forms and when extracting data into Excel. This document discusses design considerations and
current procedures for using fillable PDFs.
This set of procedures is current as of February 2014. Updates to Adobe software or agency-
wide computer settings may mean that some procedures described below could change. It is
important to fully test PDFs on a variety of operating systems (not just on the GAO network)
prior to distributing the forms to respondents.
Fillable PDF forms can be created and distributed using one of two Adobe programs. The first
method that seems to be less error prone is to convert Word questionnaires into PDFs using
Adobe Acrobat Pro. This set of procedures describes the process of converting Word
questionnaires into PDFs using Adobe Acrobat Pro. The other method which seems to cause
more errors is to create the PDF directly using Adobe LiveCycle Designer. A different set of
procedures would apply if using Adobe LiveCycle Designer. Forms have to be created using
either Adobe Acrobat Pro or LiveCycle Designer throughout the entire process. Forms cannot
be edited by both programs.
Similar to Word Electronic Questionnaires (WEQs), fillable PDF forms are usually sent to
respondents as an e-mail attachment. Respondents save a copy of the PDF on their computer,
complete the form, and e-mail it back to GAO. Fillable PDF forms have similar design
considerations as other electronic surveys such as WEQs (See Appendix I of the Choosing a
Survey Administration Method course for a more complete discussion of the strengths and
weaknesses of using electronic questionnaires.) However, fillable PDF forms have several
advantages over WEQs:
The main advantage is that data from completed fillable PDF forms can be completely
and easily extracted in to Excel, eliminating the need to have the questionnaires
keypunched. This conserves agency resources and reduces the time between receiving
completed questionnaires and beginning analysis. Even though it is also possible to
extract data from WEQs into Excel or SAS, extracting data from fillable PDF forms
requires little or no preparatory work:
o In most cases, text responses in fillable PDFs do not need to be edited to remove
special characters, bullets, and carriage returns. The only known character that
can cause a problem is text that begins with - . Excel reads those entries as