Use of Internet Tools for Survey Research

Over the past two decades, organizational researchers have used and assessed the effectiveness of various Internet tools for conducting surveys. The various Internet tools used included email, the Web, and a combination of email and the Web. As with any evolving data collection tool, the use of various Internet tools must be carefully examined. This paper presents an overview of major issues that organizational researchers need to consider when assessing the appropriateness of using Internet tools for survey data collection. Specifically, the following topics are addressed in this paper: confidentiality and security issues, non-respondent follow up, progress indicators, response completeness and quality, response options, response rates, response speed, restricted assess, sample selection, survey method resource savings, technical issues, and Web survey design features.