Collecting Data Online Holly A. Clayton, MA PSYC 6135
Why collect data online? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Decision map: Should I collect online, or manually?
Online Data Collection Advantages Disadvantages Reduced response time Lowered cost Data entry is easy Control over format Technology People like it Get info on the process Can find “at risk” subjects Representativeness of sample Response rates Measurement errors? Technical difficulties Concerns around identity Granello & Wheaton (2004)
Steps in online data collection Determine population to be measured Decide between an e-mail or web survey Develop the layout and question format(s) Write the questions Make sure layout is simple, consistent, and easy –to-read. Address informed consent and include your contact info Determine how data will be entered into the computer Do a couple practice runs yourself. Include error detection variables in anonymous web surveys Do a pilot run with a subset of the target population. Determine schedule for initial contact with participants. Download the data frequently. Granello & Wheaton (2004)
Dynamic methods for online research Created a reusable database of survey questions. Can apply this system to other studies /questions. Software creates data tables of responses . User-friendly and automatically validates entries. Calculates statistics automatically. Generates SAS and SPSS program files for advanced analysis. All of the code for this process is open-source. A great option for someone with limited funding. Cooper et al. (2006)
Online data collection (Qualitative)
Online qualitative research Flanagan et al. (2015)
Resources http://methods.sagepub.com/book/internet-data-collection https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ805689.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1343557/pdf/1742- 5573-3-1.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4359510/pdf/13104 _2015_Article_1018.pdf http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.469.8817 &rep=rep1&type=pdf