Close-ended questions are widely used. Here, all possible responses are included and the participant marks the one that most applies to his/her circumstances.

Partially closed items leave room for the participant to fill in a response that is not included in the answers offered. This is a good format if you are not sure that the answers offered cover the whole range of responses.

Open-ended items impose no structure on the response. Participants are free to respond in their own words. This is a good format if you know that the responses will vary widely or that participants will want to qualify a response with detail or a unique perspective.