Web Survey Bibliography
Relevance & Research Question: Contemporary empirical research is increasingly supported with information-communication technologies. Despite playing an extremely important role, online software tools receive only little attention in literature; rare examples include Macer (2002), Crafword (2002, 2006), Vehovar et. al. (2005), Berzelak (2006), Kazcmirek (2006, 2008) and Zuckerberg (2006).
Methods & Data: We used the public WebSM database of 400 online survey tools, where key characteristics were observed for each tool: pricing, code availability, languages, countries, support, website characteristics, promotion etc. The analysis enables studying trends in historical context within CASIC developments. Next, software tools were tested and evaluated according to 50 differentiating features related to questionnaire design, appearance, routing, sample management, multi-mode support, data security, paradata, data export, and reporting. A clustering of existing software was performed based on these characteristics. In addition, as results confirm various customer studies showing that lack of integration (e.g. support to early stages of questionnaire development) is the key deficiency of contemporary web software tools, an experiment was conducted. One group developed a questionnaire the usual way (drafts in a word processor, exchanged via e-mail and only the finalized version converted to the online tool), while the other group developed the same questionnaire using a prototype software which supports full integration from the earliest stage.
Results: Web software tools can be classified into three large groups. However, all three suffer from a relatively weak support for post-survey activities (editing, coding, weighting, analysis), in particular the lack of an integrated support for questionnaire development (on-line collaboration, drafting, archiving, commenting, versioning, editing). Namely, all software assumes a pre-existing questionnaire version, which was already extensively pre-communicated in some external software (e.g. e-mail). The results of the experiment reconfirm the problem: the users clearly prefer the integrated online tool.
Added Value: This is the first comprehensive study of all available web survey software on the market ever. Besides the insight into the status and trends, the results demonstrate key deficiencies of current web software (i.e. lack of integration), while the experiment performed in the study suggests a possible solution.
Conference Homepage (abstract) / (presentation)
Web survey bibliography - Vehovar, V. (46)
- Overview: Online Surveys; 2017; Vehovar, V.; Lozar Manfreda, K.
- Introduction Breakoffs, Questionnaire Breakoffs and Web Questionnaire Length: A Metastudy ; 2016; Cehovin, G.; Vehovar, V.
- Investigating respondent multitasking in web surveys using paradata; 2016; Sendelbah, A.; Vehovar, V.; Slavec, A.; Petrovcic, A.
- Identifying and correcting question-wording problems: the case of Wageindicator; 2015; Slavec, A., Vehovar, V., Tijdens, K. G.
- e-Social Science Perspective on Survey Process: Towards an Integrated Web Questionnaire Development...; 2015; Vehovar, V., Petrovcic, A., Slavec, A.
- Questionnaire length and breakoffs in web surveys: a meta study; 2014; Vehovar, V., Cehovin, G.
- WebSM Study: Overview of Features and Pricing of Software Packages in 2014; 2014; Vehovar, V., Cehovin, G.
- WebSM Study: Survey Software in 2014; 2014; Vehovar, V., Cehovin, G., Mocnik, A.
- Data quality of questions sensitive to social-desirability bias in web surveys; 2012; Lozar Manfreda, K., Zajc, N., Berzelak, N., Vehovar, V.
- WebSM Study: Survey software features overview ; 2012; Vehovar, V., Cehovin, G., Kavcic, L., Lenar, J.
- Costs and Errors in Fixed and Mobile Phone Surveys; 2012; Vehovar, V., Slavec, A., Berzelak, N.
- Web Survey Software; 2012; Berzelak, N., Vehovar, V., Slavec, A.
- Surveying general population: What types of experiments are further needed?; 2012; Vehovar, V., Berzelak, N.
- Web panels in Slovenia; 2012; Lenar, J., Vehovar, V.
- Web survey software; 2011; Slavec, A., Berzelak, N., Vehovar, V.
- Web Survey Process within the Concept of eSocial Sciences; 2011; Vehovar, V.
- Optimization of dual frame telephone survey designs; 2011; Slavec, A., Vehovar, V.
- Comments on the paper - Geetha Garib: Perceived diversity among employees; 2011; Vehovar, V.
- Nonresponse in Web Surveys ; 2011; Lozar Manfreda, K., Berzelak, N., Vehovar, V.
- Cost-Error Optimization Model for Mixed-Mode Surveys; 2009; Vehovar, V., Berzelak, N., Lozar Manfreda, K.
- Preference for Mobile Interview Surveys? Interplay of costs, errors and biases; 2009; Vehovar, V., Slavec, A.
- National readership surveys: Moving from probability face-to-face surveys to Internet panels; 2009; Vehovar, V., Slavec, A., Petric, I., Sargac, M.
- Empirical Evaluation of Web Survey Software Tools: Powerful or Friendly?; 2009; Vehovar, V., Berzelak, N., Lozar Manfreda, K., Horvat, T., Debevc, M.
- Optimising survey costs in mixed mode environment; 2009; Vehovar, V., Berzelak, N., Lozar Manfreda, K., Belak, E.
- Nonresponse Bias in Surveys; 2009; Bethlehem, J., Vehovar, V., Stoop, I., Schouten, B., Shlomo, N., Skinner, C., Montaquila, J.
- "Mobile phone surveys in mixed mode environment: Balancing costs and errors"; 2009; Vehovar, V.
- Mobile phone surveys in mixed mode environment; 2009; Vehovar, V.
- Probabilistic methods in surveys and offical statistics; 2008; Vehovar, V., Zaletel, M., Seljak, R.
- Internet surveys; 2008; Lozar Manfreda, K., Vehovar, V.
- What Can We Achieve With 5 Euros? Optimization of Survey Data Quality Using Mixed-Mode Approaches; 2008; Berzelak, N., Vehovar, V., Lozar Manfreda, K.
- Measuring ties on online forums; 2008; Ziberna, A., Vehovar, V., Jakulin, A.
- Nonresponse in web surveys within the context of survey errors and survey costs; 2008; Berzelak, N., Lozar Manfreda, K., Vehovar, V.
- Integration of the web into survey data collection: Balancing costs and errors; 2008; Vehovar, V., Berzelak, N., Lozar Manfreda, K.
- Optimization of costs and errors in mixed-mode surveys; 2008; Vehovar, V., Berzelak, N., Lozar Manfreda, K.
- Overview: Online Surveys; 2008; Vehovar, V., Lozar Manfreda, K.
- Measuring ego-centered social networks on the web: Questionnaire design issues ; 2008; Vehovar, V., Lozar Manfreda, K., Koren, G., Hlebec, V.
- The Impact of Cognitive and Computer Skills on Data Quality in Computer Assisted Self Administered Questionnaires...; 2008; Brecko, B. N., Vehovar, V.
- Internet surveys; 2008; Vehovar, V., Lozar Manfreda, K., Koren, G.
- The influence of mobile telephones on telephone surveys; 2008; Kuusela, V., Callegaro, M., Vehovar, V.
- Collecting Data on Ego-Centered Social Networks on the Web: Methodological Issues; 2004; Lozar Manfreda, K., Vehovar, V., Hlebec, V.
- Mode Effect in Web Surveys; 2002; Vehovar, V., Lozar Manfreda, K.
- Nonresponse in Web Surveys; 2002; Vehovar, V., Lozar Manfreda, K., , Batagelj, Z.
- Virtual Selves and Web Surveys; 2001; Lozar Manfreda, K., Couper, M. P., Vohar, M., Rivas, S., Vehovar, V.
- Nonresponse in Web Surveys; 1999; Vehovar, V.
- Internet v Sloveniji - Projekt RIS 1996-1998.; 1998; Vehovar, V.
- Handling "Don't Know" Survey Responses: The Case of the Slovenian Plebiscite; 1995; Rubin, D. B.; Vehovar, V.; Hal, S. S.