Project Outcome for Academic Libraries - Peer Discussion Board

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Project Outcome helps academic libraries understand and share the impact of essential library services and programs. It is designed to give libraries simple tools and supportive resources to help turn better data into better libraries.

This community is for Project Outcome users at academic libraries to discuss their use of outcome measurement, ask each other about patron engagement strategies, and further the thoughts and conversations that begin with acrl.projectoutcome.org.
Here, you can find various threads to ask and answer questions, start your own conversations, or further your own learning about how libraries are using outcome measurement to improve their patron-focused programs and services.

  • 1.  Rearranging the Likert Scale in Project Outcome

    Posted Feb 18, 2026 08:34 AM

    Hi there!

    In analyzing Project Outcome results, I've noticed a trend where students provide glowing open-ended feedback but select "Strongly Disagree" across all items on the Likert scale. This disconnect suggests that the "Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree" layout may be falling victim to left-side bias, survey fatigue, or the primacy effect, where respondents tend to select the first option presented. Is it possible to flip Project Outcome's Likert scale to start with "Strongly Agree" to help mitigate these "false negatives?" And if so, how can I edit our instance of the survey to reflect this change?

    Thank you!



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    Rebecca Toolsidass
    Reference & Instruction Librarian
    Quinnipiac University
    She/Her/Hers
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  • 2.  RE: Rearranging the Likert Scale in Project Outcome

    Posted Feb 20, 2026 02:18 PM

    Regarding the order of the Likert scale options, the surveys are set up that way for a couple reasons. The simplest is that regardless of the order, there will likely be a few people who select the wrong option. Given that, there is some evidence that because people read left to right, putting the more positive answer on the left can create a positive bias - people choose the first option they see - which contributes to a false ceiling effect in Likert-scale responses. Putting strongly agree on the right means that people should (theoretically) read through the options. Also, if you think of it numerically, 1 to 5 makes more sense than 5 to 1. This model was designed and tested for the original public library toolkit; the ACRL task force discussed it and opted to keep the format consistent.



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    Gena Parsons-Diamond
    ACRL Program Manager, Data and Research
    American Library Association
    She/Her/Hers
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  • 3.  RE: Rearranging the Likert Scale in Project Outcome

    Posted Jun 10, 2026 12:49 PM

    If you use paper surveys, which we do, you can always change the format if you'd want, and then do bulk uploads and "rearrange" the answers to align with the PO survey.  We use paper surveys as we usually get 100% participation that way and get close to 0% with url and qr codes.  This will work easily with smaller classes (less than 20). For larger classes, you'd likely need to tap a student worker to enter the paper surveys into  a spreadsheet for bulk uploads.  We do this too, just not as often.

    We also have students clearly fill it out wrong, but I would say it is does not happen very often.

    Best, Jenni Bodley (she/her)
    Instruction Librarian
    Seattle University



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    Jennifer Bodley
    Adjunct Librarian
    Seattle University
    She/Her/Hers
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