Internet-Based Research Method

Internet-based research method refers to any research method that uses the Internet to collect [Page 623]data. Most commonly, the Web has been used as the means for conducting the study, but e-mail has been used as well. The use of e-mail to collect data dates back to the 1980s while the first uses of the Web to collect data started in the mid-1990s. Whereas e-mail is principally limited to survey and questionnaire methodology, the Web, with its ability to use media, has the ability to execute full experiments and implement a wide variety of research methods. The use of the Internet offers new opportunities for access to participants allowing for larger and more diverse samples. However, this new access to participants comes at the cost ...