Web-based research and questionnaires are essential epidemiologic tools that provide vital internet-based.org/questionnaires-as-a-poll-instrument information on public health and disease. They are a common means of collecting data that is often less costly and time-consuming than face to-face interviews, mail-in questionnaires or automated telephone menu systems. Questionnaires and Web experiments are not without limitations, and these need to be addressed to ensure reliable and accurate results.
A questionnaire can be affected by response bias. This is the tendency for respondents to answer questions based on their personal opinions and not on research goals. Furthermore, the design of a questionnaire can influence responses in a variety of ways. For instance the wording of the question can affect whether respondents understand and interpret the question in the same way (reliable), measure the topic you’re interested in (valid), or are able to answer the question accurately (credible).
Survey fatigue or a lack engagement with the questions could also make respondents less likely to give honest responses. Additionally, a lack of incentive or compensation may discourage respondents from taking the time to complete a questionnaire.
Online questionnaires can also pose a challenge for certain experimental designs, such as reaction-time or positioning studies. It is challenging to measure and control variables across participants due to the variations in browser settings, operating systems, and the size of screens.
In addition, Web-based surveys are only available to those who are keyboard and Internet literate, which currently excludes a significant proportion of the population. It is also difficult for Web researchers to report on participants after the window for their experiment has closed.