Questionnaires can be used to collect data for a study. Some questionnaires employ both open and closed questions, while others may mix both. Open questions allow respondents to respond in their own words and closed questions offer a set of predetermined responses that they can choose from. Questionnaires can also be administered via phone, postal mail or online.
Online questionnaire surveys have become more common but it’s essential to ensure that the data collected are reliable and accurate. To ensure this, the researcher should be able to accurately gauge response rates and monitor the number of people who respond to the survey. The researcher must also be able identify potential reasons why a person might not respond, and address these issues (e.g. sampling bias).
In addition the cost of conducting online surveys is less than that of traditional methods which makes them an attractive alternative to traditional research using questionnaires. However, this method does not come without problems. Online questionnaires are difficult to assess in terms of their reliability and validity, and may have an impact on the social esteem of the respondent samples.
There are many methods to limit the negative impact of these limitations on web-based questionnaires and web-based research. This article will discuss specific methods that researchers can employ to improve the quality and reliability of their online questionnaires. These include: (i), paying participants immediately after they finish the survey yields an lower response rate than waiting for all the responses or an intermediary procedure; (iii), asking participants to fill in their names so that receipt preparation does not decrease or increase the likelihood of them being socially desirable and (iv) framing the fixed portion of the participant’s payment as “for taking the survey” and providing feedback on progress improves the quality of answers