In the
design of experiments
The design of experiments (DOE, DOX, or experimental design) is the design of any task that aims to describe and explain the variation of information under conditions that are hypothesized to reflect the variation. The term is generally associ ...
, consecutive sampling, also known as total enumerative sampling,
is a sampling technique in which every subject meeting the criteria of inclusion is selected until the required sample size is achieved.
Along with
convenience sampling
Convenience sampling (also known as grab sampling, accidental sampling, or opportunity sampling) is a type of non-probability sampling that involves the sample being drawn from that part of the population that is close to hand. This type of sampli ...
and
snowball sampling
In sociology and statistics research, snowball sampling (or chain sampling, chain-referral sampling, referral sampling) is a nonprobability sampling technique where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances. ...
, consecutive sampling is one of the most commonly used kinds of
nonprobability sampling Sampling is the use of a subset of the population to represent the whole population or to inform about (social) processes that are meaningful beyond the particular cases, individuals or sites studied. Probability sampling, or random sampling, is a ...
.
Consecutive sampling is typically better than convenience sampling in controlling sampling bias.
Care needs to be taken with consecutive sampling, however, in the case that the quantity of interest has temporal or seasonal trends.
Bias can also occur in consecutive sampling when consecutive samples have some common similarity, such as consecutive houses on a street.
References
Sampling techniques
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