Pre-Populating Participant Information in Surveys

What is a URL Parameter?

A URL parameter is a small piece of extra information added to the end of a website link. Think of it like a note attached to the link that carries information from one place to another.

How Ripple Uses URL Parameters

In Ripple, URL parameters make surveys faster and easier for participants by carrying over information already collected (such as name or contact details) to be carried into another survey.

Benefits of using URL parameters:

• Participants don’t have to re-enter the same information.

• All responses are linked to the same profile.

• Duplicate records are prevented.

You can use URL parameters to:

• Pass data from survey to survey
• Pass data from an email or text message into a survey

Passing data from survey to survey is especially useful during pre-screening. 

Example: Pre-Screening Workflow

• A potential participant completes an Interest Survey-a survey to express interest in your study.

• Based on their answers, they are directed to complete a Medical Records Request Form.

• URL parameters pre-fill their name and contact information, linking their responses to the correct profile to eliminate the need to re-enter information.

This process:

• Saves participants time

• Prevents duplicate profiles if matching fields (First Name, Last Name, Birthday) are mistyped

• If the participant doesn’t finish the Medical Records Request Form right away, you can send a reminder email or text later. In that case, URL parameters ensure the form still links back to their correct profile.

Best Practices for Using URL Parameters

• Always include the Global ID first as the first URL parameter. If the URL breaks after the Global ID, data may not pre-populate, but the participant profile will still be correctly linked.

• Map out the participant journey. The format of URL parameters will vary depending on how participants moves through this journey.

In the example below, we will pass the participant's Global ID, first name, last name, date of birth, and email address in URL parameters.?????

What information do I need to set up URL Parameters? 

When passing data from survey to survey, the URL parameters will include: 

• The name of the survey question from the first survey 
• The name of the survey question on the second survey, where you want to populate the data as URL parameters.

When passing data from an email or text message to a survey, the URL parameters will  include:

• The name of the survey question 
• The name of the variable  as URL Parameter

Step by Step: How to use URL Parameters when linking Survey to Survey

Sample URL:

1. Start with the URL of the second survey (where data should appear).
2. Add a ? after the URL.
3. Add each parameter in this format: 

           QuestionNameOnFirstSurvey={QuestionNameOnSecondSurvey}

Sample URL: 

How it works:

1. Start with the URL of the second survey (where the data should appear).

2. Add a ? after the URL.

3. Add each parameter in this format: 

   


Email or SMS Limitations and Variable Names

Not all data can be passed from an email or text into a survey. To learn more about the data elements that can be passed via email and text messages: 

• Navigate to Study Settings

• Navigate to an Email or Text tab.

• Open an existing or add a new email or text template.

• At the bottom of the builder, select “Click here to see a list of available variables” (refer to image below).

• A list will display which variables can be used as URL parameters to pre-fill surveys.

• Teams can also opt in to pass custom variable data into surveys through emails and texts. This feature must be enabled by the Ripple team.