How to Create an Academic Survey with ChatGPT in 2 Minutes

# How to Create an Academic Survey with ChatGPT in 2 Minutes

Building a survey by hand takes time. Coming up with questions, formatting them, adding scales, checking the order, entering everything into a platform. For an average 30-item survey, that is at least an hour just for data entry, not counting the time you spent thinking about phrasing. And then you realize you forgot a reverse-coded item or an attention check.

There is a faster way. With any AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any other), you can generate a complete survey in a structured format and import it directly into the Istrazimo platform. No coding, no manual question entry.

The entire process takes about two minutes.

How It Works

Istrazimo has a built-in import page that accepts surveys in JSON format. JSON is a simple structured data format that AI tools generate exceptionally well. You describe what you need, the AI generates JSON, and Istrazimo converts it into a functional survey with all question types, scales, logic, and validation.

Here are the steps.

Step 1: Open the Import Page

Go to istrazimo.rs/import or, if you are already logged in, open Studies > New Study > Import.

On the page you will see a JSON input field and a button to copy a ready-made prompt. That prompt is the key part of the process.

Step 2: Copy the Prompt

Click the "Copy prompt" button on the import page. The prompt you receive has been carefully written to tell the AI tool exactly what format Istrazimo expects. It includes:

• •A list of all supported question types (Likert, multiple choice, open-ended, matrix, ranking, and over 30 others)
• •The JSON structure with all required fields
• •Rules for Likert scales (anchors, number of points, reverse coding)
• •Instructions for attention checks
• •The format for informed consent
• •The format for demographic questions

You do not need to understand JSON to use this feature. The prompt does all the work for you.

Step 3: Open ChatGPT and Paste the Prompt

Open ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini, or whichever AI tool you prefer) and paste the copied prompt. Then add a description of your survey in plain language. For example:

"Create a survey about student attitudes toward the use of artificial intelligence in education. I need informed consent, demographic data (gender, age, year of study, academic program), an attitude toward AI scale with 15 items (Likert 1-5), perceived usefulness of AI for learning (8 items), and one open-ended question at the end. Include one attention check and two reverse-coded items."

That is all. One paragraph of plain text.

Step 4: Copy the JSON Response

The AI tool will generate JSON that looks roughly like this (abbreviated example):

{
  "title": "Student Attitudes Toward AI in Education",
  "blocks": [
    {
      "title": "Informed Consent",
      "questions": [
        {
          "type": "consent",
          "text": "I agree to participate in the research..."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "Demographics",
      "questions": [
        {
          "type": "single_choice",
          "text": "Gender:",
          "options": ["Male", "Female", "Other", "Prefer not to say"]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "Attitudes Toward AI",
      "questions": [
        {
          "type": "likert",
          "text": "Artificial intelligence can improve the quality of learning.",
          "scale": 5,
          "anchors": ["Strongly disagree", "Strongly agree"]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Select the entire JSON response and copy it.

Step 5: Paste JSON into Istrazimo

Return to the import page and paste the copied JSON into the input field. Click "Import."

Istrazimo will automatically validate the JSON. If there is an error in the format (for example, an unsupported question type or a missing field), the system will tell you exactly what needs to be fixed. In most cases, the AI generates valid JSON on the first attempt.

Step 6: Review and Publish

After a successful import, the survey opens in the editor where you can review every question, edit phrasing, add or delete items, change the order, and configure skip logic. When you are satisfied, publish the survey and start collecting responses.

Practical Example: AI in Education Survey in 2 Minutes

Here is exactly what I did to test this process.

I opened the import page on Istrazimo, copied the prompt, and opened ChatGPT. In the message field I wrote:

"Create a survey for a master's thesis in educational psychology. Topic: student attitudes toward using ChatGPT for learning. I need informed consent, demographics (gender, age, year of study, academic program, GPA), an attitude toward AI in education scale (15 items, Likert 1-5), perceived usefulness of AI for learning (8 items, Likert 1-5), ethical dilemmas around using AI (5 items, Likert 1-5), one open-ended question, and a thank-you page. Include two attention checks and three reverse-coded items."

ChatGPT generated the complete JSON in under 30 seconds, with:

• •An informed consent section containing all required elements (researcher identification, purpose, duration, anonymity, voluntariness, right to withdraw, contact information)
• •5 demographic questions with appropriate formats (single choice for gender, number for age, etc.)
• •15 items for the attitude toward AI scale, with anchors "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree"
• •3 reverse-coded items (e.g., "Using AI for learning reduces the ability for critical thinking")
• •8 items for perceived usefulness
• •5 items for ethical dilemmas
• •2 attention checks (e.g., "For this question, select the answer 'Agree'")
• •1 open-ended question
• •A thank-you page

Total: 38 items, 6 blocks, estimated completion time 10 minutes. I pasted the JSON into Istrazimo, the import passed without errors, and the survey was ready for review in the editor. From opening ChatGPT to a finished survey in the editor, less than two minutes had passed.

What the Prompt Includes and Why It Matters

The prompt you copy from Istrazimo is not a generic "make me a survey" text. It is structured so that the AI tool generates a methodologically sound instrument. Here is what the prompt covers.

Question types. The prompt contains a list of all 34 question types that Istrazimo supports. The AI knows it can use Likert scales, multiple-choice questions, matrices, rankings, open-ended questions, slider questions, and many other formats.

Likert anchors. The prompt explains how to properly define anchors for Likert scales. The AI will not just output numbers 1-5, but will generate full text anchors ("Strongly disagree," "Disagree," "Neither agree nor disagree," "Agree," "Strongly agree").

Reverse coding. The prompt includes instructions for reverse-coded items. The AI knows that in a 15-item scale it should include 2-3 items with reversed direction, and mark them in the JSON so that Istrazimo can automatically reverse scores during analysis.

Attention checks. The prompt contains the format for attention check questions. These are items that verify whether the participant is actually reading the questions (e.g., "For this question, select answer 4"). Istrazimo automatically uses them for response quality validation.

Informed consent. The prompt defines the structure of informed consent with all mandatory elements required by ethics committees: researcher identification, purpose, duration, anonymity, voluntariness, right to withdraw, and contact information.

Automatic Validation: Your Safety Net

What if the AI makes a mistake? It happens. Sometimes ChatGPT generates a question type that does not exist in Istrazimo, or omits a required field, or makes a syntax error in the JSON.

That is why Istrazimo has built-in validation that checks every imported JSON before creating the survey. Validation checks:

• •Whether all question types are supported
• •Whether every question has all required fields
• •Whether Likert scales are properly defined (anchors, number of points)
• •Whether the JSON is syntactically valid

If validation finds an error, you get a clear message telling you exactly what needs to be corrected. In most cases, it is enough to copy the error message back into ChatGPT with the comment "Fix this error" and the AI will generate corrected JSON.

Common Mistake

Publishing the survey without reviewing AI-generated questions.

This is the most common mistake researchers make when using AI to generate surveys. AI is exceptionally good at generating structure and format, but question phrasing requires human review.

Typical problems with AI-generated questions:

• •Ambiguous phrasing. AI sometimes generates questions that can be interpreted in multiple ways. For example, "Do you think AI helps with learning?" can mean "does AI help you personally" or "does AI generally help students."

• •Cultural mismatch. AI typically generates questions adapted to an American context. A question about "GPA" may not translate well into other grading systems, and a question about "college" may not match university structures in your country.

• •Overly complex wording. AI tends toward long, formal sentences. In a survey, shorter is better. "Artificial intelligence has the potential to fundamentally transform the learning paradigm in higher education" should become "AI can improve the quality of learning at university."

• •Lack of specificity. AI sometimes generates generic items that do not measure what you actually need. Always verify that every item corresponds to your research questions and hypotheses.

• •Double-barreled questions. AI sometimes combines two concepts in a single item: "AI is useful and accessible for students." This is a classic questionnaire design error (double-barreled question) that AI does not always catch.

The rule: Always review every question before publishing. AI is an excellent assistant for generating a first draft, but the final review is always on you.

Which AI Tool to Use

The prompt from Istrazimo works with all modern AI tools:

• •ChatGPT (GPT-4o or newer) generates well-structured JSON and rarely makes syntax errors.
• •Claude is particularly strong with longer surveys and understands the nuances of academic language.
• •Gemini works well for simpler surveys, though it sometimes requires additional format corrections.

Essentially, any AI tool that can generate valid JSON is compatible with Istrazimo import. Use whichever one you are most comfortable with.

When to Use AI Import vs. Manual Creation

AI import is ideal for:

• •Rapid prototyping (generate a draft in 2 minutes, then refine it)
• •Surveys with standard structures (demographics + Likert scales + open-ended question)
• •Situations where you know what you want but do not want to manually enter 30 questions
• •Generating an initial draft to review with your supervisor

Manual creation is better when:

• •You are using a specific validated instrument that must be exactly reproduced
• •The survey has complex skip logic that depends on prior responses
• •You are working with sensitive topics where every phrasing is critical

In practice, most researchers use a combination: AI generates the basic structure, and then they manually refine the phrasing in the Istrazimo editor.

Related Guides

If you are new to survey creation, I recommend first reading the guide on how to create an online survey for academic research. That article covers methodological foundations: research questions, hypotheses, survey structure, pilot testing, and ethics.

For detailed guidance on creating Likert scales (number of points, anchors, reverse-coded items, reliability), see the guide on how to build a reliable Likert scale.

AI import does not replace methodological knowledge. It replaces manual question entry. You still need to know what you want to measure and why.

Try It Yourself

The entire process takes two minutes. Open istrazimo.rs/import, copy the prompt, paste it into ChatGPT along with a description of your survey, copy the JSON response back to Istrazimo, and review the result.

It is free. You do not need to register to preview how the import works.

And when you are ready to collect responses, Istrazimo covers the entire process from survey design to statistical analysis, with 34 question types, automatic response quality checks, and CSV data export. Get started.