Questionnaires and web experiments are essential to the study of epidemiology, providing important information on the condition of public health and illness. They are a common method of collecting data that are typically less costly and time-consuming than face-to-face interviews, mailed questionnaires, or automated phone menu systems. Questionnaires and Web experiments are not free of limitations, which must be addressed to get reliable and valid results.
A questionnaire may be affected by response bias, the tendency of respondents to answer questions according internet-based.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-questionnaires to their opinions rather than the research objectives. Moreover, questionnaire design can influence responses in different ways. For instance the language used in the questions can affect whether respondents are able to comprehend and interpret the question in the same manner (reliable) or whether you can determine the topic you’re interested in (valid), or are able to answer in a timely manner (credible).
A lack of enthusiasm or involvement with the questions may also cause respondents to be less inclined to give honest answers. A lack of incentive or compensation might also discourage participants from filling out survey forms.
Online questionnaires can also be challenging for certain experiment designs such as studies of reaction time or position. It is difficult to measure and control variables across participants because of the variations in browser settings, operating systems, and screen sizes.
Finally, web-based surveys may only be accessed by people who have keyboards and Internet literate. This excludes a significant part of the population. It is also difficult for Web researchers to provide participants with a report after the window for their experiment has closed.