Conducting Research Online - Principal Methodological Issues Cover Image

Prowadzenie badań przez Internet - podstawowe zagadnienia metodologiczne
Conducting Research Online - Principal Methodological Issues

Author(s): Dominik Batorski, Marta Olcoń-Kubicka
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: online research; methodology; sampling; response rate; dropout; computer-mediated communication; measurement error; research ethics

Summary/Abstract: This article discusse possibilities related to conducting Internet research by presenting various methods and advantages of online research. However, the main part shows and discusses the basic problems and challlenges of using online research. The authors point to the issues which should be considered in order to ensure the quality of social science methodology and suggest how to handle different sources of errors. In the first place, problems related to the response rate will be presented, such as motivation to participate in the research, non-response error, and dropout. The next part of the article identifies problems related to the measurement error as a result of non-standardized situation, different skills of respondents, nature of computer-mediated communication and technical obstacles. The final part presents ethical aspects of conducting research online and discusses situation of a respondent on the Internet and possibilities of using the Internet content.

  • Issue Year: 182/2006
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 99-132
  • Page Count: 33
  • Language: Polish