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INTERNET DATA COLLECTION Samuel J. Best Brian S. Krueger Series: Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences 141 ZA 4228 AGE UNIVERSITY PAPER B47 2004 U L_ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/internetdatacollOOOObest Series/Number 07/141 W II INTERNET DATA COLLECTION N\ \l SAMUEL J. BEST University of Connecticut BRIAN S. KRUEGER University of Rhode Island SAGE PUBLICATIONS International Educational and Professional Publisher Thousand Oaks London New Delhi aA .047 3oo4 Copyright © 2004 by Sage Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information: Sage Publications, Inc. 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 E-mail: [email protected] Sage Publications Ltd. 1 Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y ISP United Kingdom Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd. B-42 Panchsheel Enclave Post Box 4109 New Delhi 110 017 India Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Best, Samuel J. Internet data collection / Samuel J. Best and Brian S. Krueger. p. cm.—(A Sage university papers series. Quantitative applications in the social sciences ; 141) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-7619-2710-7 (pbk.) 1. Internet research. I. Krueger, Brian S. II. Title. III. Sage university papers series. Quantitative applications in the social sciences ; no. 07-141. ZA4228.B47 2004 001,4'2'02854678—dc22 2003025482 06 07 08 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Acquiring Editor: Lisa Cuevas Shaw Editorial Assistant: Margo Crouppen Project Editor: Claudia A. Hoffman Copy Editor: Liann Lech Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd. CONTENTS Acknowledgments v Series Editor’s Introduction vii 1. Using the Internet as a Medium for Research 1 The Data Collection Process 2 Data Collection Opportunities on the Internet 2 Limitations of Internet Data Collection 3 Orientation 4 Organization 4 2. Practicalities of Using the Internet 5 A New Communication Medium 5 Getting Connected to the Internet 6 Online Services Suitable for Data Collection 10 3. Drawing Samples on the Internet 13 Specifying the Target Population 14 Developing a Sample Frame 15 Choosing a Sampling Method 16 Determining the Size of the Sample 20 Implementing Contacting Procedures 22 4. Administering Instruments on the Internet 36 Selecting a Communication Mode 36 Controlling Access 40 Formatting the Instrument 43 Incorporating Multimedia Stimuli 61 Limiting Item Nonresponse 65 Providing Instruction 69 Transmitting the Instrument 73 5. Compiling Responses Online 74 Inducing Participation 75 Collecting Submissions 78 Authenticating Cases 80 Appraising Responses 81 Concluding Remarks 84 References 85 About the Authors 91 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are particularly indebted to Don Dillman, who not only provided advice throughout various stages of the process, but also was gracious enough to supply the manuscript to his graduate students for feedback. We would also like to thank Mick Couper, Vasja Vehovar, Chase Harrison, and the anony¬ mous reviewers for their thoughtful reviews and important suggestions for improving the monograph. Niki Best and Christina Wolbrecht were invalu¬ able as copy editors. Zsolt Nyiri was of great help in preparing the figures. Finally, Stanley Feldman, Bill Jacoby, Chuck Taber, and Paul Teske offered useful advice in the preparation of the prospectus. v
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