Questionnaires and web experiments are essential to the study of epidemiology that provides crucial information about the state of health and disease in the public. They are the most commonly used methods for collecting data. They are typically cheaper and less time-consuming than face-toface interviews, mail-in questionnaires, or automated telephone menu systems. However questionnaires, surveys and Web experiments have a number of limitations that must be addressed to ensure reliable and valid results.
A questionnaire could be influenced by response bias, the tendency of respondents to answer questions according to their personal opinions internet-based.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-questionnaires rather than according to research goals. In addition, the design of the questionnaire can influence responses in different ways. For instance the wording of the question can affect whether respondents understand and interpret the question in the same way (reliable) and also, determine what you’re looking for (valid), or are able to answer in a timely manner (credible).
Respondents may also experience survey fatigue or a lack of engagement with the questions which reduces the chances of them giving honest answers. Lack of incentive or compensation might also discourage participants from filling out survey forms.
Online questionnaires can be challenging for certain experiment designs such as studies of reaction times or positioning. It is difficult to measure and control variables across different participants due to the differences in browser settings as well as operating systems and screen sizes.
In the end, web-based surveys can only be accessed by people who have keyboards and Internet literate. This excludes a significant part of the population. Furthermore, it’s generally difficult for Web researchers to provide feedback to participants after the experiment’s time-out.