The pandemic of online research in times of COVID-19
Top Cited Papers
Open Access
- 23 February 2021
- Vol. 11 (2), e043866
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043866
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an explosion of online research using rating scales. While this approach can be useful, two of the major challenges affecting the quality of this type of research include selection bias and the use of non-validated scales. Online research is prone to various forms of selection bias, including self-selection bias, non-response bias or only reaching specific subgroups. The use of rating scales requires contextually validated scales that meet psychometrical properties such as validity, reliability and—for cross-country comparisons—invariance across settings. We discuss options to prevent or tackle these challenges. Researchers, readers, editors and reviewers need to take a critical stance towards research using this type of methodology.Keywords
Funding Information
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Antwerp (37025)
This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit:
- Disentangling depression in Belgian higher education students amidst the first COVID-19 lockdown (April-May 2020)Archives of Public Health, 2021
- Research priorities for the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond: A call to action for psychological scienceBritish Journal of Psychology, 2020
- Social media as a recruitment platform for a nationwide online survey of COVID-19 knowledge, beliefs, and practices in the United States: methodology and feasibility analysisBMC Medical Research Methodology, 2020
- Reflections on and test of the metrological properties of summated rating, Likert, and other scales based on sums of ordinal variablesMeasurement, 2019
- Big Data and Large Sample Size: A Cautionary Note on the Potential for BiasClinical and Translational Science, 2014
- Rating scales as outcome measures for clinical trials in neurology: problems, solutions, and recommendationsThe Lancet Neurology, 2007
- Cronbach’s α, Revelle’s β, and Mcdonald’s ωH: their relations with each other and two alternative conceptualizations of reliabilityPsychometrika, 2005
- Improving the Quality of Web Surveys: The Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES)Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2004
- Using the Internet for Surveys and Health ResearchJournal of Medical Internet Research, 2002
- A practical and theoretical guide to measurement invariance in aging researchExperimental Aging Research, 1992