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Online research methods

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Online research methods (ORMs) are ways in which researchers can collect data via the internet. They are also referred to as Internet research,[1] Internet science[2] or iScience, or Web-based methods.[3] Many of these online research methods are related to existing research methodologies but re-invent and re-imagine them in the light of new technologies and conditions associated with the internet. The field is relatively new and evolving. With the growth of social media, a new level of complexity and opportunity has been created. The inclusion of social media research can provide unique insights into consumer and societal segments and gaining an "emotional" measure of a population on issues of interest.

Some specific types of method include:

Online clinical trials

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Clinical trials are at the heart of current evidence-based medical care. They are, however, traditionally expensive and difficult to undertake. Using internet resources can, in some cases, reduce the economic burden, and may have other benefits in Medicine.[4] Paul et al.,[5] in The Journal of Medical Internet Research, describe the background and methodologies of online clinical trials and list examples.

Research in and with social media

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The advent of social media has recently led to new online research methods, for example data mining of large datasets from such media[6] or web-based experiments within social media that are entirely under the control of researchers, e.g. those created with the software Social Lab.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Reips, U.-D. (2012). Using the Internet to collect data. In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, R. Gonzalez, D. L. Long, A. Panter, D. Rindskopf, & K. J. Sher (eds.), APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Vol 2: Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological (pp. 291-310). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/13620-017
  2. ^ Reips, U.-D., & Bosnjak, M. (Eds.). (2001). Dimensions of Internet Science. Lengerich: Pabst. http://iscience.deusto.es/archive/reips/dis/
  3. ^ Reips, U.-D. (2006). Web-based methods. In M. Eid & E. Diener (Eds.), Handbook of multimethod measurement in psychology (pp. 73-85). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/11383-006
  4. ^ Reips, U.-D. (2013). Internet-based studies. In Marc D. Gellman, J. Rick Turner (eds.), Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (Part 9, pp. 1097-1102). Berlin: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_28
  5. ^ The Internet and Clinical Trials: Background, Online Resources, Examples and Issues. James Paul; Rachael Seib; Todd Prescott. Journal of Medical Internet Research Vol 7 (1) 2005. http://www.jmir.org/2005/1/e5/ (accessed 12 Feb 2009).
  6. ^ Reips, U.-D., & Garaizar, P. (2011). Mining Twitter: Microblogging as a source for psychological wisdom of the crowds.Some websites specialize in creation of online content such as http://perfectscholars.com/ Behavior Research Methods, 43, 635-642. doi:10.3758/s13428-011-0116-6
  7. ^ Garaizar, P. & Reips, U.-D. (2013). Build your own social network laboratory with Social Lab: a tool for research in social media. Behavior Research Methods. doi 10.3758/s13428-013-0385-3

Further reading

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  • Hooley, Tristram John Marriott and Jane Wellens, What is Online Research? Using the Internet for Social Science Research (Bloomsbury Academic, 2012) ISBN 978-1-8496-6554-4 (open access online)
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