Web Survey Bibliography
Background: Internet research may raise older ethical issues in new forms or pose new issues. It has been recommended that debriefing information online be kept very short, with further information including study results made available if requested by participants. There are no empirical studies that compare possible alternative methods of debriefing in online studies.
Objective: To undertake a randomized controlled trial evaluating how to implement the recommended approach by assessing the effects of two different approaches on accessing of additional information.
Methods: All 11,943 participants in the Effects of Study Design and Allocation (ESDA) study, which employed deception, were randomly assigned to one of two methods of debriefing: Group A received the debriefing information in the body of an email with links to protocol and results pages; Group B was presented with these links after clicking on an initial link in the body of the email to view the debriefing information on a website. Outcomes assessed were the proportions clicking on the links to the protocol and results summary and the time spent on these pages by those accessing them.
Results: The group who were presented with no debriefing information in the body of the email and went to a website for this information (Group B) were approximately twice as likely to subsequently access the protocol and the results summary. These differences between the two groups were highly statistically significant. Although these differences are clear, the overall proportions accessing such information were low, and there were no differences in mean time spent reading these pages. Only one quarter of Group B actually accessed debriefing information.
Conclusions: In circumstances where the uptake of fuller information on study design, methods, and findings is deemed important, debriefing information may be better provided via a link and not included in the body of an email. Doing so may, however, reduce the extent of receiving any debriefing information at all. There is a wider need for high quality empirical studies to inform ethical evaluations.
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Web survey bibliography (286)
- Paradata as an aide to questionnaire design: Improving quality and reducing burden; 2017; Timm, E.; Stewart, J.; Sidney, I.
- Targeted letters: Effects on sample composition and item non-response; 2017; Bianchi, A.; Biffignandi, S.
- Using Mixed Methods to Research the Professional Development Needs of English Teacher Educators in PCET...; 2017; Eliahoo, R.
- The Failure of the Polls: Lessons Learned from the 2015 UK Polling Disaster; 2017; Sturgis, P.
- Web based health surveys: Using a Two Step Heckman model to examine their potential for population health...; 2016; Morrissey, K.; Kinderman, P.; Pontin, E.; Tai, S.; Schwannauer, M.
- Fieldwork Effort, Response Rate, and the Distribution of Survey Outcomes: A Multilevel Meta-analysis; 2016; Sturgis, P.; Williams, Jo.; Brunton-Smith, I.; Moore, J.
- Gamifying. Not all fun and games; 2016; Stubington, P.; Crichton, C.
- Are interviews costing £0.08 a waste of money? Reviewing Google Surveys for Wisdom of the Crowd...; 2016; Roughton, G.; MacKay, I.
- Observations from Twelve Years of an Annual Market Research Technology Survey; 2016; Macer, T.; Wilson, S.
- FocusVision 2015 Annual MR Technology Report; 2016; Macer, T., Wilson, S.
- Last Year Your Answer Was … The Impact of Dependent Interviewing Wording and Survey Factors on...; 2016; Al Baghal, T.
- Gamifying Questions Using Text Alone; 2016; Cape, P. J.
- Eye-tracking Social Desirability Bias; 2016; Kaminska, O.; Foulsham, T.
- Assessing targeted approach letters: effects in different modes on response rates, response speed and...; 2016; Lynn, P.
- Report of the Inquiry into the 2015 British general election opinion polls; 2016; Sturgis, P., Baker, N., Callegaro, M., Fisher, St., Green, J., Jennings, W., Kuha, J., Lauderdale, B...
- The Validity of Surveys: Online and Offline; 2016; Wiersma, W.
- Revisiting “yes/no” versus “check all that apply”: Results from a mixed modes...; 2016; Nicolaas, G.; Campanelli, P.; Hope, S.; Jaeckle, A.; Lynn, P.
- Adapting Labour Force Survey questions from interviewer-administered modes for web self-completion in...; 2015; Betts, P.; Cubbon, B.
- Recent Books and Journals Articles in Public Opinion, Survey Methods, Survey Statistics, and Big Data...; 2015; Callegaro, M.
- Are Fast Responses More Random? Testing the Effect of Response Time on Scale in an Online Choice Experiment...; 2015; Boerger, T.
- Using equivalence testing to disentangle selection and measurement in mixed modes surveys ; 2015; Cernat, A.
- Polling Error in the 2015 UK General Election: An Analysis of YouGov’s Pre and Post-Election Polls...; 2015; Wells, A.; Rivers, D.
- The Cathie Marsh lecture: What does the failure of the polls tell us about the future of survey research...; 2015; Sturgis, P., Matheson, J.
- Understanding Society Innovation Panel Wave 7: Results from Methodological Experiments; 2015; Blom, A. G.; Burton, J.; Booker, C. L.; Cernat, A.; Fairbrother, M.; Jaeckle, A.; Kaminska, O.; Keusch...
- Email subject lines and response rates to invitations to participate in a web survey and a face-to-face...; 2015; Sappleton, N.; Lourenco, F.
- Validity of Internet-Based Longitudinal Study Data: The Elephant in the Virtual Room; 2015; Pugh, C. A.; Summers, K. M.; Bronsvoort, M. C.; Handel, I. G.; Clements, D. N.
- Challenges with Online Research for Couples and Families: Evaluating Nonrespondents and the Differential...; 2015; Busby, D. M.; Yoshida, Ke.
- Gamification in market research: Increasing enjoyment, participant engagement and richness of data,...; 2015; Bailey, P.; Pritchard, G.; Kernohan, H.
- Going Online with a Face-to-Face Household Panel: Effects of a Mixed Mode Design on Item and Unit Non...; 2015; Burton, J.; Jaeckle, A.; Lynn, P.
- Adapting an interviewer - administered survey for web self - completion in a mixed - mode design ; 2015; Betts, P.; Cubbon, B.
- Technology and Reporting of Daily Activities – Considerations for Analysis of Behaviours in Mixed...; 2015; Fisher, K.; Gershuny, J.
- Measurement Error in Discontinuous Online Survey Panels: Panel Conditioning and Data Quality; 2015; Atkeson, L. R.; Adams, A. N.; Karp, J. A.
- The importance of scale direction between different modes; 2015; Agalioti-sgompou, V.
- The effect of response formats on data quality and comparability across online PC and smartphone surveys...; 2015; Cleary, A.; Allum, N.; Kolbas, V.
- A web-based survey of United Kingdom sedation practice in the intensive care unit; 2015; Yassin, S. M., Yassin, J., Terblanche, M., McKenzie, C. A.
- The Use of Cognitive Interviewing Methods to Evaluate Mode Effects in Survey Questions; 2014; Gray, M., Blake, M., Campanelli, P.
- FocusVision 2014 Annual MR Technology Report; 2014; Macer, T., Wilson, S.
- Do your own online surveys. DYI and self serve market research; 2014; Cary, N.
- Nonprobability Web Surveys to Measure Sexual Behaviors and Attitudes in the General Population: A Comparison...; 2014; Erens, B.; Burkill, S.; Couper, M. P.; C., Clifton, S., Tanton, C., Phelps, A., Datta, J., Mercer,...
- 640 Current trends in management of high-risk prostate cancer in Europe: Results of a web-based survey...; 2014; Briganti, A., Isbarn, H., Ost, P., Ploussard, G., Sooriakumaran, P., Van Den Bergh, R.C.N., Van Oort...
- Is Vague Valid? The Comparative Predictive Validity of Vague Quantifiers and Numeric Response Options...; 2014; Al Baghal, T.
- Improving Survey Response Rates in Online Panels Effects of Low-Cost Incentives and Cost-Free Text Appeal...; 2014; Pedersen, M. J., Nielsen, C. V.
- The role of email addresses and email contact in encouraging web response in a mixed mode design ; 2014; Cernat, A., Lynn, P.
- Mixed-mode surveys of the general population - Results from the European Social Survey mixed-mode experiment...; 2014; Park, A., Humphrey, A.
- Measurement effects between CAPI and Web questionnaires in the UK Household Longitudinal Study; 2014; Lynn, P., Vannieuwenhuyze, J. T. A.
- Role of mode in respondents’ decisions to participate in IP5: findings from a qualitative follow...; 2014; Collins, D., Mitchell, Ma.
- Understanding Society Innovation Panel Wave 6: results from methodological experiments; 2014; Allum, N., Auspurg, K., Blake, M., Booker, C. L., Crossley, T. F., D'ardenne, J., Fairbrother, M., Iacovou...
- The untold story of multi-mode (online and mail) consumer panels; 2014; McCutcheon, A. L., Rao, K., Kaminska, O.
- A critical review of studies investigating the quality of data obtained with online panels based on...; 2014; Callegaro, M., Villar, A., Yeager, D. S., Krosnick, J. A.
- Recent Books and Journals in Public Opinion, Survey Methods, and Survey Statistics; 2014; Callegaro, M.