Questionnaires and web experiments are a crucial method of epidemiology that provide crucial data on the state of health and disease in the public. They are a popular method of collecting data, which is usually less expensive and time intensive than face-to-face interviews, mail-in internet-based.org/questionnaires-as-a-poll-instrument questionnaires or automated telephone menu systems. Questionnaires and Web experiments do not come without limitations, and these need to be addressed to achieve reliable and valid results.
A questionnaire can be influenced by response bias, the tendency of respondents to answer questions according to their personal opinions rather than according to research goals. The structure of a questionnaire can affect responses in a variety of ways. For example the wording of the question could influence whether the respondents comprehend the question and interpret it in the same manner (reliable) and whether the question reflects the subject you are interested in (valid) and the ability of respondents to accurately answer (credible).
Lack of engagement with the questions could cause respondents to be less likely to give honest answers. Lack of incentive or compensation might also discourage participants from filling out a questionnaire.
Online questionnaires can also pose difficult for certain research designs, such as studies of reaction time or positioning. The variability in browser settings size, screen sizes, and operating systems makes it challenging to measure and control the same variables across different participants.
The bottom line is that Web-based surveys can only be accessed by those who have keyboards and Internet proficient. This excludes a large part of the population. In addition, it’s usually difficult to Web researchers to debrief participants after an experiment’s window closes.