Web-based surveys and questionnaires are a crucial method of epidemiology, providing important data on the state of public health and illness. They are a standard method of collecting data, which is often less expensive and time-consuming than face to-face interviews, paper questionnaires mailed, or automated telephone menu systems. Questionnaires and Web experiments do not come without their limitations, which must be addressed to get reliable and valid results.
A questionnaire can be affected by response bias. This is the tendency for respondents to answer questions based on their opinions and not on research goals. In addition, the design of the questionnaire can influence responses in various ways. For instance the wording of questions can influence whether respondents comprehend and interpret the question in the same manner (reliable) and also, determine what you’re interested in (valid) or can answer with accuracy (credible).
Lack of engagement with the questions could make respondents less likely to give honest responses. In addition, the absence of incentives or compensation could make it difficult for respondents to take the time to fill out a questionnaire.
Online questionnaires pose challenges for some experiments, like reaction-time or positioning studies. It is difficult to control and measure variables across participants due to the variations in browser settings operating systems, settings, and the size of screens.
In the end, web-based surveys can only be accessed by people who have keyboards and Internet literate. This excludes a substantial segment of the population. It’s also difficult for Web researchers to report on participants after the experiment window has ended.
