Online research methods (ORMs) are ways in which researchers can collect data via the internet. They are also referred to as

Internet research Internet research is the practice of using Internet information, especially free information on the World Wide Web, or Internet-based resources (like Internet discussion forum) in research. Internet research has had a profound impact on the way id ...

Internet science Internet science is an interdisciplinary science that examines all aspects of the co-evolution in Internet networks and society. It works in the intersection of and in the gaps among a wide range of disciplines that have had to respond to the impac ...

iScience Cell Press is an all-science publisher of over 50 scientific journals across the life, physical, earth, and health sciences, both independently and in partnership with scientific societies. Many of Cell Press's journals are among the most reputabl ...

, or Web-based methods. 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: *

Cyber-ethnography Online ethnography (also known as virtual ethnography or digital ethnography) is an online research method that adapts ethnographic methods to the study of the communities and cultures created through computer-mediated social interaction. As mod ...

Online content analysis Online content analysis or online textual analysis refers to a collection of research techniques used to describe and make inferences about online material through systematic coding and interpretation. Online content analysis is a form of content a ...

Online focus groups An online focus group is one type of focus group, and is a sub-set of online research methods. They are typically an appropriate research method for consumer research, business-to-business research and political research. Typical operation A moder ...

Online interviews An online interview is an online research method conducted using computer-mediated communication (CMC), such as instant messaging, email, or video. Online interviews require different ethical considerations, sampling and rapport than practices found ...

Online qualitative research Online qualitative research refers to focus groups, individual depth interviews ( IDIs) and other forms of qualitative research conducted online rather than face to face or via telephone. Types of online qualitative research In addition to online ...

Online questionnaires Computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) is an Internet surveying technique in which the interviewee follows a script provided in a website. The questionnaires are made in a program for creating web interviews. The program allows for the questionn ...

Social network analysis Social network analysis (SNA) is the process of investigating social structures through the use of networks and graph theory. It characterizes networked structures in terms of ''nodes'' (individual actors, people, or things within the network) a ...

Web-based experiments A web-based experiment or Internet-based experiment is an experiment that is conducted over the Internet. In such experiments, the Internet is either "a ''medium'' through which to target larger and more diverse samples with reduced administrative ...

Online clinical trials Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...

– or see below

Online clinical trials

Clinical trials Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...

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. Paul et al., i
''The Journal of Medical Internet Research''
describe the background and methodologies of online clinical trials and list examples.

Research in and with social media

The advent of

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

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

References

External links

''Exploring online research methods''

''Association of Online Internet Researchers Ethical Report''

iScience Server

List of online research studies

"Online Research Methodology: Using the Internet and the Web for Research and Publication"
Tarun Tapas Mukherjee, Bhatter College, ''Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies''. Vol. 2, 2012. http://bcjms.bhattercollege.ac.in
''The International Journal of Internet Science''
- a journal that publishes articles on online research methods
''Annual General Online Research Conference''
{{sociology-stub

Online clinical trials

Research in and with social media

See also

References

Further reading

External links