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UNC School of Medicine | School of Medicine IT

Qualtrics

Qualtrics is a powerful, enterprise-level survey and form tool available through qualtrics.unc.edu. It can be used for any type of form, from simple contact or RSVP forms to complex surveys, research studies, and evaluations, and it is approved by UNC for collecting data of any classification, including Tier 2 and higher. It offers advanced features such as branching logic, embedded data, distribution tracking, and analytics.

Data Sensitivity Requirements

Qualtrics can be used to collect both non-sensitive data (Tier 0 or 1) and sensitive data (Tier 2 or higher). You do not need to be collecting sensitive data to use it.

Qualtrics is required when your form collects sensitive data, since it is the only approved tool for:

  • Health-related information
  • Student or employee ID numbers
  • Any Tier 2 or higher data as defined by UNC policies

Qualtrics is also the recommended tool for any form that includes a file upload field, since sensitive data has inadvertently been uploaded through file upload fields in the past.

Not sure how your data is classified? See the UNC Information Classification Standard.

Access and Permissions

Qualtrics forms are owned by the individual user who created them. By default, only the creator can edit the form or view its responses. To let others collaborate, you must manually share the survey with them.

When an Employee Leaves

Before leaving the department or the university, the form owner must transfer ownership of any Qualtrics forms and survey data to another authorized user. Go to the UNC Qualtrics support page and click the Transfer a Survey button to submit a request.

Retention

There is no retention / automatic deletion.

Adding a Qualtrics Form to Your Web Page

Once your form is built in Qualtrics, add a link to it on your web page. Visitors click the link and complete the form in Qualtrics.

Before You Begin

  • Build and test your form in Qualtrics.
  • Publish (activate) the form so it can accept responses.

Step 1: Get the Form’s Link

  • In Qualtrics, open your form and go to the Distributions tab.
  • Select Anonymous Link.
  • Copy the link.

Step 2: Add the Link to Your Page

  • Edit your page in WordPress.
  • Add text link or a button that links to the form.
  • Use descriptive link text, such as “Complete the event registration form,” rather than “click here.”

Test Before You Publish

  • Click the link from your published page to confirm it opens the form.
  • Submit a test response, then delete your test responses in Qualtrics so they don’t appear in your data.

Troubleshooting

  • If the link shows an error or a blank page, confirm the form is published and that you copied the anonymous link from the Distributions tab.

Keep In Mind

  • Responses are stored in Qualtrics, not WordPress. You view and manage them in Qualtrics.

Resources and Support

  • qualtrics.unc.edu – UNC’s official Qualtrics portal where you can log in with your Onyen to access the survey platform. Includes account setup and general information.
  • UNC School of Medicine Qualtrics FAQ Page – Overview of Qualtrics services managed by the School of Medicine IT team, including support details and a request form for new accounts.
  • UNC Guidance on File Uploads in Qualtrics – Important data security guidance from UNC’s Information Security Office on using the file upload feature in Qualtrics safely and compliantly.
  • Qualtrics Tips & Tricks PDF (from the UNC Odum Institute) – A quick reference guide with useful tips, shortcuts, and best practices for building and managing surveys in Qualtrics.
  • Official Qualtrics Documentation – Qualtrics offers on-demand training and live training. Head over to Qualtrics XM BaseCamp portal for Core XM training and to explore all the courses. You can pick from the Learning Journeys or Individual Courses.
    • Getting Started with Surveys – Official Qualtrics support documentation with a beginner-friendly walkthrough of the survey platform’s main features and tools.
    • Learn to Use Qualtrics – Free, on-demand training courses and video tutorials to help you learn how to design, distribute, and analyze surveys using Qualtrics Research Core. This video series will teach you the basics of building and distributing a survey project, as well as how to report on your data.
    • Collaborating on Survey Projects – You can collaborate with others on your survey by granting access to additional users. Depending on the level of access you assign, collaborators may be able to edit the survey, view responses, or both.
    • Setting Up An Email Trigger (email alert) – An email trigger automatically sends an email notification when a respondent completes the survey.
    • When accessing training resources, select the Qualtrics Credentials option then Sign in with SSO and enter unc as the organization ID. You’ll be directed to the UNC Single Sign-On screen to enter your Onyen and password.
  • Qualtrics includes pre-existing themes that apply UNC and School of Medicine branding to your survey. To access these themes, open your survey and go to Look & Feel settings. From there, you can select a branded theme to apply institutional styling to your form.