title: Strategies to address participant misrepresentation for eligibility in Web-based research.
abstract: Emerging methodological research suggests that the World Wide Web ("Web") is an appropriate venue for survey data collection, and a promising area for delivering behavioral intervention. However, the use of the Web for research raises concerns regarding sample validity, particularly when the Web is used for recruitment and enrollment. The purpose of this paper is to describe the challenges experienced in two different Web-based studies in which participant misrepresentation threatened sample validity: a survey study and an online intervention study. The lessons learned from these experiences generated three types of strategies researchers can use to reduce the likelihood of participant misrepresentation for eligibility in Web-based research. Examples of procedural/design strategies, technical/software strategies and data analytic strategies are provided along with the methodological strengths and limitations of specific strategies. The discussion includes a series of considerations to guide researchers in the selection of strategies that may be most appropriate given the aims, resources and target population of their studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Coster
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Helmuth
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hermos
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosenbloom
authors.forename: Rich
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moed
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dooley
authors.forename: Ying-Chia
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Kendra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liljenquist
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brief
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Enggasser
authors.forename: Terence
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Keane
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lachowicz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection; D012107:Research Design / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Internet data collection; World Wide Web data collection; participant misrepresentation; recruitment and enrollment methods; sampling methods