SORT Online User Guide
Welcome to the SORT Online User Guide. This comprehensive guide will help you navigate the Self-Assessment of Organisational Readiness Tool and make the most of its features.
Table of Contents
1. Getting Started
SORT Online helps healthcare organisations evaluate and strengthen their research capabilities within nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions.
First Steps After Login
- Join or Create an Organisation — You must belong to an organisation to use SORT Online. If you received an invitation, accept it to join an existing organisation. Otherwise, create a new one.
- Access the Organisation Dashboard — Click Organisation Dashboard in the navigation menu to view your organisation's projects and surveys.
- Create a Project — Projects group related surveys together. Create a project for each department, team, or research initiative.
- Launch a Survey — Within a project, create surveys to collect responses from participants.
2. Understanding Roles
SORT Online uses role-based access control to manage permissions within organisations. There are two main roles:
| Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
| Administrator |
|
| Project Manager |
|
3. Organisation Management
The Organisation Dashboard is your central hub for managing projects and team members.
Managing Members
Administrators can manage organisation membership:
- Invite Members — Send email invitations to colleagues. They will receive a link to join your organisation.
- Assign Roles — Set each member as either Administrator or Project Manager.
- Remove Members — Remove members who no longer need access.
Organisation Settings
From the Organisation Dashboard, you can:
- Update your organisation's name and description
- View all projects within the organisation
- Search for specific projects using the search bar
4. Project Management
Projects help you organise related surveys together. For example, you might create separate projects for different departments, research initiatives, or time periods.
Creating a Project
- Navigate to the Organisation Dashboard
- Click the Create project button
- Enter a project name and optional description
- Click Save to create the project
Managing Projects
From the project page, you can:
- View Surveys — See all surveys within the project
- Create Surveys — Launch new assessments
- Edit Project — Update the project name and description
- Delete Project — Remove the project and all its surveys (use with caution)
5. Survey Workflow (6 Steps)
Each survey follows a six-step workflow from configuration to final report generation.
Step 1 Configure Your Survey
Before distributing your survey, configure its settings. The survey combines three sections:
- Consent Section — Participant information and consent statements
- SORT Questions — Profession-specific assessment questions (select Nurses, Midwives, or NMAHPs)
- Demographics Section — Optional demographic questions to gather participant information
Click Configure the survey to customise which demographic questions to include.
Step 2 Invite Your Participants
Distribute the survey to participants using one of these methods:
- Direct Link — Copy the invitation link and share it via email, messaging apps, or your intranet
- QR Code — Download the QR code image to include in printed materials or presentations
- Email Invitations — Use the built-in email system to send invitations directly from SORT Online
Participants do not need a SORT Online account to complete the survey. The link provides anonymous access to the survey form.
Step 3 Survey Responses
Monitor and manage collected responses:
- View Responses — See a summary of all collected responses
- Export Data — Download responses as CSV or Excel files for analysis
- Activate/Deactivate — Control whether the survey accepts new responses
Deactivating a survey prevents new submissions while preserving existing data. You can reactivate it later to continue collecting responses.
Step 4 Gather Evidence
After collecting responses, document evidence that supports your assessment findings. For each survey section, you can:
- Write evidence statements describing relevant documentation, policies, or practices
- Upload supporting files (documents, images, presentations)
- Link evidence to specific survey sections
Evidence gathering helps contextualise survey results and provides documentation for improvement planning.
Step 5 Make an Improvement Plan
Create actionable improvement plans based on your assessment results. For each survey section:
- Identify areas for improvement
- Set SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)
- Document planned actions and timelines
- Assign responsibilities where applicable
Improvement plans help translate assessment findings into concrete actions for developing your organisation's research capabilities.
Step 6 Generate Report
Create a comprehensive report that combines:
- Survey response summaries and visualisations
- Evidence gathered for each section
- Improvement plans with objectives and actions
The generated report is printable and can be shared with stakeholders, used in governance meetings, or included in funding applications.
6. Understanding the Maturity Scale
The SORT assessment uses a 0-4 maturity rating scale to measure organisational research readiness across different dimensions.
| Level | Label | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Not yet planned | No activity or consideration in this area. The organisation has not yet begun to address this aspect of research readiness. |
| 1 | Planned | Activities are being considered or planned but not yet implemented. Early discussions or proposals may be in progress. |
| 2 | Early progress | Initial implementation has begun. Some activities are in place but not yet widespread or fully developed. |
| 3 | Substantial progress | Significant implementation across the organisation. Activities are well-established in most areas but may still be developing. |
| 4 | Established | Fully embedded practice across the organisation. Activities are routine, sustainable, and integrated into normal operations. |
7. Troubleshooting
Experiencing issues with SORT Online? Visit our Troubleshooting Guide for common problems and solutions, including NHS network and firewall issues.
8. Support & Contact
If you need additional help or have questions about using SORT Online, we're here to assist.
Contact Us
SORT Online Support Teamsort-online-support-group@sheffield.ac.uk
Feedback
We value your feedback to help improve SORT Online. Use the links in the navigation menu to:
- Provide Feedback — Share suggestions for new features or improvements
- Report Issues — Let us know about bugs or technical problems
Research Team
For more information about the research team, please read the about page on the SORT website.