"commencing the survey" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to the start of something, such as a survey or project. For example: "We are commencing the survey tomorrow, so please make sure to be prepared."
However, if it were possible to replicate this study with participants meeting the author face-to-face prior to commencing the survey, it would open up the opportunity to ensure a more level understanding of 'formality' between participants, alongside the chance for any further clarification of the study.
All data collectors were pharmacy undergraduates and they were trained comprehensively before commencing the survey by conducting a workshop.
The study was approved by the UNSW Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC13077) and all participants indicated consent by checking an online box before commencing the survey.
Informed consent was obtained from survey participants prior to commencing the survey and results were de-identified when exported for analysis to protect confidentiality.
Prior to commencing the survey, workshops and meetings were held to introduce the study to local traditional leaders, community health workers, and health service providers.
Prior to commencing the survey, participants were asked to touch "NEXT" onscreen to indicate that they consented to participating in the study.
A total of 1676 respondents commenced the survey.
A total of 320 speech pathologists commenced the survey.
In total, 554 people consented to be contacted by the telephone research team, and 394 (71%) commenced the survey.
Of the approximately 4,750 regional health service staff with email accounts, 1,659 opened the survey email, and 410 people commenced the survey.
Commencing the Delphi survey with an open ended question rather than using a pre-determined list of items will ensure that the researchers' views are not imposed upon the participants, thus enabling the participants to suggest all possible outcomes for consideration [ 24].
