Web Survey Bibliography
Background: Internet and mobile health (mHealth) apps hold promise for expanding the reach of evidence-based health interventions. Research in this area is rapidly expanding. However, these studies may experience problems with recruitment and retention. Web-based and mHealth studies are in need of a wide-reaching and low-cost method of recruitment that will also effectively retain participants for the duration of the study. Online recruitment may be a low-cost and wide-reaching tool in comparison to traditional recruitment methods, although empirical evidence is limited. Objective: This study aims to review the literature on online recruitment for, and retention in, mHealth studies. Methods: We conducted a review of the literature of studies examining online recruitment methods as a viable means of obtaining mHealth research participants. The data sources used were PubMed, CINAHL, EbscoHost, PyscINFO, and MEDLINE. Studies reporting at least one method of online recruitment were included. A narrative approach enabled the authors to discuss the variability in recruitment results, as well as in recruitment duration and study design. Results: From 550 initial publications, 12 studies were included in this review. The studies reported multiple uses and outcomes for online recruitment methods. Web-based recruitment was the only type of recruitment used in 67% (8/12) of the studies. Online recruitment was used for studies with a variety of health domains: smoking cessation (58%; 7/12) and mental health (17%; 2/12) being the most common. Recruitment duration lasted under a year in 67% (8/12) of the studies, with an average of 5 months spent on recruiting. In those studies that spent over a year (33%; 4/12), an average of 17 months was spent on recruiting. A little less than half (42%; 5/12) of the studies found Facebook ads or newsfeed posts to be an effective method of recruitment, a quarter (25%; 3/12) of the studies found Google ads to be the most effective way to reach participants, and one study showed better outcomes with traditional (eg in-person) methods of recruitment. Only one study recorded retention rates in their results, and half (50%; 6/12) of the studies recorded survey completion rates. Conclusions: Although online methods of recruitment may be promising in experimental research, more empirical evidence is needed to make specific recommendations. Several barriers to using online recruitment were identified, including participant retention. These unique challenges of virtual interventions can affect the generalizability and validity of findings from Web-based and mHealth studies. There is a need for additional research to evaluate the effectiveness of online recruitment methods and participant retention in experimental mHealth studies.
Web survey bibliography (4086)
- The art of asking survey questions; 2015; Grady, S., Johnson, S.
- Response Rates, Nonresponse Bias, and Data Quality: Results from a National Survey of Senior Healthcare...; 2015; Meterko, M.; Restuccia, J. D.; Stolzmann, K.; Mohr, D.; Brennan, C. W.; Glasgow, J.; Kaboli, P.
- An Introduction to Survey Research; 2015; Cowles, E. L.; Nelson, E.
- Suggestions for international research using electronic surveys; 2015; e Silva, S. C.; Duarte, P.
- Tailored fieldwork design to increase representative household survey response: an experiment in the...; 2015; Luiten, A.; Schouten, B.
- SSI Defines the Successful Mobile Survey Experience at ESOMAR; 2015
- 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.
- Effects of Forced Responses and Question Display Styles on Web Survey Response Rates; 2015; Tangmanee, C.; Niruttinanon, P.
- Using virtual presence and survey instructions to minimize careless responding on Internet-based surveys...; 2015; Ward, M. K.; Pond III, S. B.
- Mixed-method feasibility study comparing the outpatient assessment of burn patients using a tablet device...; 2015; Mitchell, S. S.
- HUFFPOLLSTER: Pollsters Debate If Modern Surveys Can Be Trusted; 2015; Blumenthal, M.; Edwards-Levy, A.; Velencia, J.
- Using Internet to Recruit Immigrants with Language and Culture Barriers for Tobacco and Alcohol Use...; 2015; Carlini, B. H.; Safioti, L.; Rue, T. C.; Miles, L.
- An Updated Protocol to Detect Invalid Entries in an Online Survey of Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM):...; 2015; A.; Konstan, J. A.; Iantaffi, A.; Wilkerson, J. M.; Galos, D; Rosser, B. R. S.Grey, J. A.
- Online Recruitment Methods for Web-Based and Mobile Health Studies: A Review of the Literature; 2015; Lane, T. S.; Armin, J.; Gordon, Ju. S.
- iTunes Song-Gifting is a Low-Cost, Efficient Recruitment Tool to Engage High-Risk MSM in Internet Research...; 2015; Holland, C. M.; Ritchie, N. D.; Du Bois, S. N.
- Comparing the Similarity of Responses Received from Studies in Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to Studies...; 2015; Bartneck, C.; Duenser, A.; Moltchanova, E.; Zawieska, K.
- Challenges with Online Research for Couples and Families: Evaluating Nonrespondents and the Differential...; 2015; Busby, D. M.; Yoshida, Ke.
- A Note on the Use of Survey Research Firms to Enable Empirical Data Collection; 2015; Schoenherr, T.; Ellram, L. M.; Tate, W. L.
- Ethical issues in online research; 2015; James, N.; Busher, H.
- Circumventing Nonresponse - Upgrading Traditional Company Survey Data with Unobtrusive Data from Company...; 2015; Rasmussen, K. B.Thimm, H.
- Recruiting Online: Lessons From a Longitudinal Survey of Contraception and Pregnancy Intentions of Young...; 2015; Harris, M. L.; Loxton, D.; Wigginton, B.; Lucke, J. C.
- Calendar Instruments in Retrospective Web Surveys; 2015; Glasner, T.; van der Vaart, W.; Dijkstra, W.
- Gamification in market research: Increasing enjoyment, participant engagement and richness of data,...; 2015; Bailey, P.; Pritchard, G.; Kernohan, H.
- Survey Informatics: The Future of Survey Methodology and Survey Statistics Training in the Academy?; 2015; McCutcheon, A. L.
- Recruiting Respondents for a Mobile Phone Panel: The Impact of Recruitment Question Wording on Cooperation...; 2015; Busse, B.; Fuchs, M.
- Recruiting for addiction research via Facebook; 2015; Thornton, L. K.; Harris, K.; Baker, A.; Johnson, M.; Kay-Lambkin, F. J.
- Respondent Screening and Revealed Preference Axioms: Testing Quarantining Methods for Enhanced Data...; 2015; Jones, M. S.; House, L. A.; Zhifeng, G.
- Can a non-probabilistic online panel achieve question quality similar to that of the European Social...; 2015; Revilla, M.; Saris, W. E.; Loewe, G.; Ochoa, C.
- Exploring the Effects of Removing "Too Fast" Responses and Respondents from Web Surveys; 2015; Greszki, R.; Meyer, M.; Schoen, H.
- Response Rates for Patient-Reported Outcomes Using Web-Based Versus Paper Questionnaires: Comparison...; 2015; Horevoorts, N. J.; Vissers, P. A. J.; Mols, F.; Thong, M. S. Y.; van de Poll-Franse, L. V.
- Mode Effects in Mixed-Mode Economic Surveys: Insights from a Randomized Experiment; 2015; Hsu, J. W.; McFall, B. H.
- The effect of multiple reminders on response patterns in a Danish health survey; 2015; Christensen, A. I.; Ekholm, O.; Kristensen, P. L.; Larsen, F. B.; Vinding, A. L.; Gluemer, C.; Juel,...
- Innovative Recruitment Using Online Networks: Lessons Learned From an Online Study of Alcohol and Other...; 2015; Bauermeister, J. A.; Zimmerman, M. A.; Johns, M. M.; Glowacki, P. F.; Stoddard, S. A.; Volz, E. M.
- The best times to call in a mobile phone survey; 2015; Vicente, P.
- Yes-no answers versus check-all in self-administered modes ; 2015; Callegaro, M.; Henderson, V.; Murakami, M.; Tepman, Z.
- Validating self-reported mobile phone use in adults using a newly developed smartphone application; 2015; Goedhart, G., Kromhout, H., Wiart, J., Vermeulen, R.
- Use of Internet panels to conduct surveys; 2015; Kapteyn, A.; Liu, H., D.Hays, R. D.
- The quality of responses to grid questions as used in Web questionnaires (compared with paper questionnaires...; 2015; Dominguez, J. A.; de Rada, V. D.
- 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.
- The comparison of mobile devices to computers for web-based assessments; 2015; Huff, K. C.
- Face-to-Face or Sequential Mixed-Mode Surveys Among Non-Western Minorities in the Netherlands: The Effect...; 2015; Kappelhof, J.
- The Influence of the Answer Box Size on Item Nonresponse to Open-Ended Questions in a Web Survey ; 2015; Zuell, C.; Menold, N.; Koerber, S.
- What are the Links in a Web Survey Among Response Time, Quality, and Auto-Evaluation of the Efforts...; 2015; Revilla, M.; Ochoa, C.
- Comparing a Cell Phone Survey and a Web Survey of University Students ; 2015; Couper, M. P.; Kim, S.; Woo, Y.
- Impact of mixed modes on measurement errors and estimates of change in panel data; 2015; Cernat, A.
- Identifying predictors of survey mode preference; 2015; Millar, M. M.; Olson, K.; Smyth, J. D.
- Tips for Creating Web Surveys for Completion on a Mobile Device; 2015; McGeeney, K.
- Probabilistic Web Survey Methodology in Education Centers: An Example in Spanish Schools; 2015; Tapia, J. A., Menendez, J. A.
- Understanding Participation in a Web-Based Measurement Burst Design: Response Metrics and Predictors...; 2015; Griffin, J., Patrick, M. E.
- Rating Scales in Survey Research: Using the Rasch model to illustrate the middle category measurement...; 2015; Bradley, K. D., Peabody, M. R., Akers, K. S., Knutson, N. M.