A survey is referred to as a general survey when it is carried out to gather broad information about a population institution or phenomenon without any specific purpose or hypothesis. For specific issues or to evaluate the viability of a theory or hypothesis, customized surveys are carried out.
Some surveys are regular in nature and must be repeated after regular intervals. Such a survey is called Regular Survey. The adhoc survey is are undertaken for all.
A preliminary survey also referred to as a "Pilot study," is an early version of the final survey. After the pilot study is finished, a final survey is conducted.
A sense survey is one that includes every element of a particular universe. A survey is referred to be a sample survey if it merely covers a portion of the entire universe.