Conducting online research and evaluation.

Abstract

Web-based evaluation/surveys and research about the Internet are becoming increasingly widespread. The apparent ease of conducting these activities may be blinding researchers to potential methodological flaws that threaten the validity of the data and any interpretations that may be drawn from them. Additionally, some online research and survey methods threaten the central tenets of human research: privacy, confidentiality and informed consent. This paper outlines three case studies at Griffith University as a point of departure for discussing these emerging issues.