Background & Objective: Today, Likert scale data is used in many studies in medical, educational, and psychometric fields to understand the attitudes of individuals. This study was conducted with the aim of correctly understanding how to design a Likert scale and to analyse the issues and challenges in determining the reliability and analysis of Likert scale data. Instruments & Methods: In the current review study, search engines such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct were searched between May and August 2017. Based on the searched terms, 532 articles were primarily obtained; according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study, eventually 60 articles were examined. Results: Using the 5-point scale is more common than other multi-choice options. Considering the option as intervals encourages people to answer the questions. While using Likert scale data, there are always decisionmaking challenges, especially when discussing the type of test to be used for parametric or non-parametric tests. If there is a presumption of the normalization of the distance data, independent t test is used for the two separate groups. Conclusion: In most of the Likert scale studies that have been carried out so far, there is some confusion or disagreement with how to design, construct, and analyse its data. Ultimately, although there is no detailed and comprehensive agreement on the design and analysis of Likert data, this study, with a general summary in this regard, has greatly curtailed the confusion.

Building a research questionnaire and using assessment tools play a crucial role in social, management and behavioral sciences. scales and questionnaires are deemed wrongly as the same tools, but in spite of the similarities they are basically and technically different. Although making a research scale or questionnaire may seem quite an easy job for some researchers, gathered results by these tools are normally miles away from the reality. By this token, it necessitates some technical skills and scientific background. This article is to study the Likert scale, introduced by R. Likert in 1932, as the most commonly used assessment tools and the most recently published researches' findings are explored to build and statically analyze the produced results developed by Likert scale.

Introduction: The Death Depression scaleis made to measure pathological attitudes towards death. This scale has two options and Likert forms.The purpose of this studywas to determine the validity and reliabilityof the Likert version of Death depression scale (DDS) in an university students samples.Materials & methods: The current study was conducted in correlational context. Agroup of 894 students from Tabriz universities in 2012, using Stratifiedrandom sampling method, took part in thisresearch. Participants answered to theDeath Depression scale (DDS). Data were analyzed using explanatory factor analysis of variance and Pierson correlation methods.Results: Factor Analysis results showed multidimensional structure of scale and extracted three factors which were labeleddeath despair/ death finality, deathloneliness & death acceptance whichaccounted for 59.43 % of variances.Concurrent validity reported parallel usingof Death Anxiety scale, showing goodcoefficient (P<0.001, r=0.73). Howeverthree types of reliabilities (test retest, splithalf internal constancy) were reported.Discussion & Conclusions: In comparison with two options format, Likert form of Death Depression scale is saturated by three factors, and has relatively higher validity and reliability. Thus it can be used, as valid measure, in death related studies.

2Introduction: Despite observing the high accuracy of evaluation with a numerical scale in the previous studies, students at Semnan University of Medical Sciences should evaluate the professors' education performance with the Likert scale in each item of the questionnaire. This issue can reduce the accuracy of professors' evaluations in the university and professors do not have proper feedback from the evaluation of their courses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the evaluation scores of professors by students using a Likert scale and a numerical scale in the Faculty members of Rehabilitation in Semnan University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: In this study, 130 students were allocated to two groups of qualitative and quantitative assessment ways (n=65 in each group). The methods of evaluation included current methods (scoring based on the Likert scale) and the new numerical scoring method. Then, the obtained data from the students' evaluation was entered into SPSS software to conduct statistical analysis. Results: The findings indicated that the mean score of all evaluation questions using the numerical method was higher as compared to the qualitative method using the Likert scale. These differences between the two methods were statistically significant in the six questions and also higher in the quantitative assessment group (p < 0.05). These six questions include the adequacy of the sessions allocated to the course, the simplicity and comprehensibility of the content presented, attention to the previous knowledge of the student in preparing the content, the appropriateness of the sequence of the content presented to achieve the educational goals, the power of conveying the concept in the content presented and providing the content file of the materials presented in the class. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the current method of evaluating the professors of Semnan University of Medical Sciences, which is done qualitatively and through the Likert scale, can have problems. Therefore, decision-makers and educational administrators of Semnan University of Medical Sciences and other universities can use the results of this study to make positive changes to improve the process of evaluating professors by students.

Objectives: There is currently no consensus on transformation of the starting point of scoring on the Likert’s scale in questionnaires. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the transforming the starting point of scoring on the indices of central tendency, dispersion and the independent t-test. Methods: The study employed inferential analysis to investigate the effects of transforming the origin of scoring, comparing the results through illustration. A 4-point Likert’s scale, starting with scoring zero and one, was utilized. The Independent t-test was used to compare the mean scores in two groups. Results: The results of the study showed that transforming of the starting point of scoring from 1 to zero on Likert’s scale only leads to a difference in the value of the tendency to the center. However, dispersion indices and statistical statistics did not showed any difference in both scoring methods. Conclusion: Changing the origin of scoring in the questionnaires, when total scores exhibit a normal distribution, has no impact on the independent t-test and standard deviation. The only significant affect includes difference on tendency to the center in two scoring systems.

Sustainable agricultural development is a multidimensional concept, has become increasingly important over time. Therefore, identifying the factors affecting each of the dimensions of sustainable agriculture is necessary for proper planning. In this paper, an attempt is made to determine the factors affecting the four dimensions of sustainable agricultural development in Khorasan Razavi province by using seemingly unrelated regression equations (SURE) and using a sample of 398 farmers selected by two-stage random cluster method. Data obtained from the completion of the questionnaire in 2019. The results show that, the average indicator of social sustainability is 0.55, environmental sustainability is 0.47, economic sustainability is 0.41 and political sustainability is 0.32. Also, there are significat correlations between variables of participation in training courses, interest in agriculture and job satisfaction with the components of agricultural sustainability. There is significat correlation between membership in farmers' cooperative with political stability, land ownership with social and political components, and land integration with economic component of sustainability. Accordingly, it is suggested that extension trainings in the field of sustainable agriculture be developed. According to the priority of managerial sustainability, investment in agricultural infrastructure, improvement of decision-making methods, development and strengthening of agricultural organizations, development of support laws and the development of sustainable employment be on the desicionmakers. In addition, developing a proper marketing system with the aim of preventing waste and reducing production costs will ensure the stability of farmers' incomes.