Research Tips

Communicating with Research Participants

Among the advantages and disadvantages of different data collection methods such as mail, phone, and Web surveys, a factor to consider is the method normally used to communicate with the people to be surveyed. This is important for three reasons:

First, it may determine which data collection methods are feasible. For example, conducting a Web survey of selected people can be difficult if an organization does not have their e-mail addresses.
Second, the people being surveyed are likely to be comfortable with the methods of communication the organization normally uses. For example, someone who regularly receives correspondence from a company through the mail is unlikely to object to receiving a questionnaire in the mail, but he or she might feel differently about being contacted by the same company to take part in a telephone survey.
On the other hand, using a method of communication for research that differs from that which the organization normally uses (e.g., sending customers of a Web site a paper questionnaire through the mail) is almost guaranteed to get attention.