Internet Surveys

Internet surveys hold great promise for investigators in virtually all fields of research. However, they also introduce a new set of measurement dilemmas that are not easily resolved. Although the field of online research is still in its infancy, several pressing issues have risen to the fore.

To be sure, every research design has certain drawbacks. With some, you get the benefit of a quick study that brings in multiple participants; however, these studies tend to compromise measurement for sample size. With other study designs, it is possible to measure your topic of interest in a multi-faceted and comprehensive manner, however, the time it takes to do so virtually guarantees that you won't have many participants. Indeed, the balance of sample size and measurement remains a challenging issue for most researchers.

Internet Surveys with Valid Forms of Measurement

Internet surveys are a popular choice for those for whom issues of sample size reign supreme. If you want to bring in big numbers of people, there is simply no better way to do it than with online instruments. However, many people are finding that it is difficult to obtain very complex measurement with this methodological approach.

Here's the rub: When you have a participant completing a bunch of surveys in front of you, you can answer questions as he goes, and provide encouragement to answer each and every question. Thus, you get complete, meaningful data. With Internet surveys, there is no one to monitor how people respond. Thus, missing data becomes problematic, as does the issue of how to get respondents to complete more than a few quick questions.