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Our Author & Review Standards

Evidence-based quiz design, platform expertise, and a clear editorial review process.

Michael Hodge Founder & Research Methodology
5 min read Updated:

Key Takeaways

  1. Single accountable authorship: Quiz Maker content is written under Michael Hodge’s direction and reviewed against a documented editorial standard before publication.
  2. Evidence-based practice: The work reflects practical psychometrics, assessment design, and more than 20 years of experience across survey and quiz platforms.
  3. Confidence through process: Each guide or template is built from purpose first, checked for clarity and fairness, reviewed independently, and improved over time.

Overview

Quiz Maker content is written under Michael Hodge’s direction and reviewed against a documented editorial standard before publication. Our aim is simple: quizzes and assessment resources that are clear, fair, accessible, and grounded in evidence-based practice.

Below you’ll find Michael’s background, the principles behind effective online quiz design, and the review process used across Quiz Maker guides, templates, and assessment resources.

About the Author

Michael Hodge — Founder, Quiz Maker & Assessment Methodologist.

Michael founded Quiz Maker and has more than 20 years of experience in survey and quiz design across education, research, training, and digital engagement. With an extensive background in Psychology at UOW, he brings evidence-based assessment design, practical psychometrics, and hands-on platform expertise to every guide and template. LinkedIn

Practice areas: item writing & flow, scoring & feedback design, outcome logic, mobile accessibility, reliability and validity checks, and reporting that supports action.

Methods used: cognitive interviewing, small pilots, distractor analysis, item difficulty and discrimination review, completion-time checks, dropout diagnostics, and logic audits.

What this produces: clearer questions, more trustworthy scores, and quiz results people can use with confidence.

Principles of Good Quiz Design

Strong quizzes start with a clear purpose and are refined through evidence, review, and iteration.

  1. Start with the outcome

    Define what the quiz should measure, teach, or decide before writing items. Good quiz design starts with outcomes, not with question ideas.

  2. Write clear, single-purpose items

    Keep each question focused on one idea. Avoid trick wording, double negatives, vague absolutes, and unnecessary reading load.

  3. Match format, scoring, and feedback to purpose

    Use scored quizzes, outcome-based results, manual marking, or mixed formats only when they fit the goal. Scoring and feedback should be easy to explain and defend.

  4. Design for fairness and accessibility

    Mobile usability, keyboard access, readable contrast, plain language, and reasonable timing are part of quiz quality from the outset.

  5. Keep results useful

    A good quiz does more than return a score. It gives clear feedback, meaningful outcomes, or a practical next step for the learner or respondent.

  6. Review with evidence

    Pilot small, then check item performance, distractors, completion time, drop-off, and result patterns before wider release.

Independent 8-Step Review Process

  1. Step 1: Define the purpose

    Set the audience, intended outcome, key constructs or skills, and the decisions the quiz is meant to support.

  2. Step 2: Build the blueprint

    Map outcomes to question types, difficulty, scoring rules, result logic, and feedback so coverage is deliberate rather than accidental.

  3. Step 3: Draft items and results

    Write stems, options, explanations, and outcomes in plain language with consistent logic and minimal bias.

  4. Step 4: Run internal author QA

    Check answer keys, wording, duplicates, branch logic, timing, mobile behavior, and scoring before independent review.

  5. Step 5: Independent editorial review

    A separate reviewer checks clarity, fairness, accessibility, and whether the quiz measures what it claims to measure.

  6. Step 6: Pilot and analyse

    Use a small pilot or controlled launch to review difficulty, discrimination, distractors, completion time, and drop-off.

  7. Step 7: Confirm delivery standards

    Review accessibility, data collection settings, feedback timing, and any certificates, leaderboards, or manual marking workflows.

  8. Step 8: Publish, version, and improve

    Release with version tracking, then monitor performance and feedback so weak, unclear, or outdated items can be revised promptly.

Versioning & Credits

Author: Michael Hodge, Founder of Quiz Maker.

Review standard: Published material is checked for clarity, fairness, accessibility, scoring logic, and delivery quality before release.

Versioning: Material changes are versioned so wording, scoring, logic, and accessibility updates remain transparent over time.

Related reading: How to Make an Online Quiz, What is the Testing Effect?, Quiz Maker Help, and How to Design Effective Online Assessments.

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About the Author

Michael founded Quiz Maker and writes about quiz design, assessment design, and data quality. His work combines Psychology at UOW with more than 20 years of experience in survey and quiz design.