Effect of personal signature on the initial rate of return of a mailed questionnaire

Abstract

Tested the assumption that a personal signature on the cover letter is a sine qua non for yielding higher rates of return of mailed questionnaires. 3,091 university faculty members were sent questionnaires concerning their uses of and attitudes toward audiovisual instructional materials. 1,546 were sent a cover letter bearing the researcher's personal signature, and 1,545 were sent a cover letter indentical to the 1st group's except that the researcher's signature was a mimeographed facsimile. No difference was found between the initial return rates for the 2 groups even when the rank of the faculty member was identified. It is concluded that, for the sample studied, a personal signature was no greater an inducement to respond than a mimeographed facsimile. (37 ref.) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)