# Using Standard Survey Questions
Clinical Operations Vaults include Veeva Standard Questions, which are industry-standard clinical survey questions with common available answers. Admins can also [create custom Standard Questions][1]. Standard Questions are typically used in external respondent surveys
in Veeva Study Startup.
Standard Questions are stored as _Library Question_
records and allow Vault to save survey responses as _Stored Response_ records. Vault uses the _Stored Response_ records to automatically populate the responses in future surveys sent to the same site or Principal Investigator. Standard Library Questions are provisioned in every Vault, but reusable response functionality is available only for _Site Surveys_ in Vaults with Study Startup enabled.
## Standard Question Types
All Standard Questions have an associated reusable response type: _Organization_ or _Principal Investigator_. All Veeva Standard Questions are _Organization_ questions, while custom Standard Questions can be configured as _Organization_ or _Principal Investigator_ questions. Vault uses the reusable response type to determine whether a survey respondent must enter or request a Universal Site Number (USN) to complete their survey, or to determine what information is used to retrieve stored responses. For _Principal Investigator_ questions, responses are populated based upon the _Principal Investigator_ listed on the _Study Site_ record.
## About Universal Site Numbers (USNs) for Standard Questions {#universal-site-number}
If a survey includes one or more Standard Questions with the _Organization_ reusable response type, the respondent is required to enter or request a USN
, which is a unique identifier that Veeva assigns to each site that responds to _Organization_ Standard Questions. When a respondent opens a survey that includes at least one _Organization_ Standard Question, Vault displays a banner at the top of the survey, prompting the respondent to provide their USN. Respondents must select their USN or sign up for a new USN before they can complete their survey. The request does not need to be approved for the respondent to complete the survey.
The respondent can click **Enter USN** in the banner to open a dialog where they can enter their USN, if known, or search for and select the USN associated with their site. If they cannot find their USN, they can request a USN. They must either select their USN or sign up for a USN before they can complete their survey. When respondents request a new USN, they must provide a contact. Vault populates the _USN Search or Sign-Up_ dialog with the _First Name_, _Last Name_, and _Email_ of the user submitting the request. Veeva reviews the USN application, and either approves or rejects the USN request. Veeva notifies the provided contact of status updates to the USN application through email.
For surveys that do not contain any Standard Questions or contain only _Principal Investigator_ Standard Questions, a USN is not required.
## Storing and Retrieving Responses
Once a respondent completes their survey, Vault creates a _Stored Response_ record for each Standard Question. If the respondent requested a USN, Vault does not create _Stored Response_ records until Veeva approves the request and issues the USN. For Veeva Standard Questions, _Stored Response_ records are stored in both the customer Vault and a central registry.
For _Organization_ Standard Questions, Vault saves the _Organization_ and USN in the _Stored Response_ record. For _Principal Investigator_ Standard Questions, Vault saves the _Principal Investigator_ and _Principal Investigator Email_.
After a survey is created for a site, Vault queries the Study Site's _Stored Response_ records for any standard _Library Questions_ in the survey. For Veeva Standard Questions, Vault queries the central registry. Vault populates answers in the survey with the answer values in the _Stored Response_ records. If a response's _Last Confirmed Date_ value is past the _Reusable Response Expiration (Years)_ value, Vault does not populate the answer, and the respondent must manually answer the question.
When a survey respondent submits a survey that contains Standard Questions that already have _Stored Response_ records, Vault updates the record's _Response Text_, _Site Survey_, and _Last Confirmed Date_ values.
## Adding Standard Questions to Survey Templates
You can add Standard Questions
to _Survey Templates_ using the Visual Checklist Designer
. To add a Standard Question in the Visual Checklist Designer, click **Add Question from Library** (
) and select the question. When you add a Veeva Standard Question, a Veeva icon (
) is displayed next to the question in the Visual Checklist Designer.
You can also add a Standard Question to a _Survey Template_ by selecting a **Library Question** on the _Survey Template_'s _Question Design_ record.
## Managing Standard Questions
Veeva Standard Questions and custom Standard Questions are stored as _Library Question_
records. Navigate to the **Question Library** to view and manage _Library Question_ records.
You can create custom Standard Questions by creating _Library Question_ records with the _Reusable Response_ field set to **Yes**. See Checklist Question & Answer Setup
for information about the other available fields.
You cannot create, edit, or delete Veeva Standard Questions.
### Creating Custom Standard Questions {#creating-questions}
Create a _Library Question_ record
and populate the following fields when creating a custom Standard Question:
* **Question Category**: Select the **Question Category**.
* **Reusable Response**: Select **Yes** to configure this question as a custom Standard Question and enable _Stored Response_ record creation for the question.
* **API Name**: Enter a unique **API Name** for the question. This field is required when _Reusable Response_ is set to _Yes_.
* **Reusable Question Type**: Select whether _Stored Response_ records created from this question are related to the **Organization** or a **Principal Investigator**. This field is required when _Reusable Response_ is set to _Yes_. Vault uses this value to determine the type of reuse that should be leveraged when a survey is sent.
* **Reusable Response Expiration (Years)**: Optionally, enter an expiration date in years for the _Stored Response_. Vault compares the specified expiration date to the _Last Confirmed Date_ of the _Stored Response_ to determine whether to reuse the response.
* **Locked**: When you save a _Library Question_ record with the _Reusable Response_ field set to **Yes**, Vault automatically sets the _Locked_ field to **Yes**.
### Modifying Custom Standard Questions
_Library Question_ records for Veeva Standard Questions and their _Available Answer_ records are locked and cannot be created, edited, or deleted.
You cannot edit or delete custom _Library Question_ records for Standard Questions when they have associated _Stored Response_ records. To edit or delete the question, you must delete its _Stored Response_ records first.
Vault automatically sets _Library Question_ records for custom Standard Questions to _Locked_ on creation and they must be unlocked before editing or deleting. To unlock a custom Standard _Library Question_ record, select **Unlock Library Question** from the **Actions menu**. Once it is unlocked, the _Reusable Question Type_, _Reusable Response Expiration (Years)_, and _Reusable Response_ fields are cleared. If the question is currently used in a survey, any edits you make to the question are not reflected on the survey.
[1]: #creating-questions