|
|
 |
Listserv Message Center
 |
Invitation: Contribute a Chapter to an Edited Book |
 |
|
|
|
| Posted by: | Jon Krosnick |
| Title/Position: | Professor |
| School/Organization: | Stanford University |
| Sent to listserv of: | SPSP, SESP, SPSSI |
| Date posted: | July 26th, 2011 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
Call for Proposals to Write Chapters for an Edited Book
Title of Book: Online Panel Research: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Publisher: Wiley, in their Survey Methodology series
Editors: Mario Callegaro, Reg Baker, Jelke Bethlehem, Anja S. Göritz, Jon A. Krosnick and Paul J. Lavrakas
Background and Purpose of the Book
The purpose of this book is to summarize the current state of knowledge about the use of online panels of research participants for social science research, including psychology. The book will bring together in one volume the best empirical-based research on what has become a very important yet controversial method of collecting data online.
Online panels are used in many fields including: psychology, survey research, opinion polling, market research, medical research, political science and economics, to name a few.
Over about the last decade, there has been a major global shift in survey and market research toward survey data collection using online panels. In the market research sector, for example, ESOMAR estimates that in 2009, 28% of global spending was on online research--mostly in online panels. This compares to only 13% in 2004. In the U.S. alone online revenues amounted to around two billion dollars in 2010. Yet despite their widespread use, remarkably little is known with confidence about the quality of the data online panels generate.
Advocates of using online panels for population description argue that with proper selection of panel members and post survey adjustment techniques, non-probability samples can produce accurate estimates of almost any population of interest. And advocates assert that they can do so much more quickly and at a lower cost than with other methods. Other researchers have reservations, noting that the vast majority of online panels are used in ways that violate many of the basic assumptions of probability theory, thereby calling into question the representativeness of the samples produced from these sources. They also worry about the incentive-driven culture of online panels and about the cumulative effects of frequency research participation. Other than using online panels for population description, online panels might be advantageously employed for non-population experimental or descriptive research.
Widespread professional interest in these issues has existed for over a decade, but relatively little high quality research has been subjected to peer review and been published. Advocates of online panels have mostly made their case in conference settings and corporate white papers and have produced relatively little by way of well-documented studies in peer-reviewed journals. Sometimes, theoretical arguments have been eschewed in favor of straightforward empirical results showing that the method works. In recent years, only a small number of peer-reviewed publications have appeared reporting empirical research evaluating online panels and comparing their results to data collected by other methods. This book seeks to advance the state of understanding of online panels by consolidating a large set of new peer-reviewed work.
Call for Chapters
Given the above, we invite researchers to submit proposals for chapters in an edited volume. The editors encourage comparative empirical studies that demonstrate differences or similarities in results across methods. The primary purpose of the book is to provide new empirical evidence evaluating all sources of potential error in online panel measurements, to compare such errors to errors in parallel data collected by other methods, and to identify methods for minimizing error.
A subset of illustrative possible topics include:
• Sampling and coverage errors: Probability and nonprobability sampling methods, including sample representativeness and other aspects of external validity
• Online panel recruitment methods and nonresponse
• Panel maintenance and attrition
• Online sample selection and adjustment techniques
• Measurement errors in online research, including satisficing, missing data, imputation, respondent burden, and other measurement error topics
• Interactions among various sources of errors in online panel research
• Use of online panels where representativeness is not a goal
• Rare/low incidence population studies
A goal of the book is to be as interdisciplinary as possible, so a wide array of other topics is within the scope of the book.
The Process
The editors invite potential authors to submit a 4-6 page double-spaced chapter proposal with the following:
1. Detailed description of the chapter content
2. Tentative outline of chapter
3. Description of the dataset(s) that will provide the foundation of what is reported in the chapter
4. Up to five key references
The proposal should be sent via email to online.panels.wiley@gmail.com
The Timeline for Chapters
October 17, 2011: Deadline to submit a chapter proposal
November 30, 2011: Decision from the editors
May 1, 2012: First draft due
August 31, 2012: Feedback from the editors on the first drafts
December 15, 2012: Second draft due
February 28, 2013: Final feedback from the editors
April 30, 2013: Final draft due
Author Requirements for Dataset Access
A requirement of participating authors reporting quantitative results is to provide an electronic copy of all original data analyzed for a chapter, in addition to analysis syntax and analysis output showing the results reported in the chapter. Detailed instruction on how to prepare the dataset, metadata, and technical requirements will be communicated to authors who are invited to contribute to the book.
The datasets will be placed on a book companion website. This will allow any user to re-analyze the data and potentially provide more insights.
Contributors' Website
Potential contributors are invited to peruse the contributors' website:
https://sites.google.com/site/onlinepanelresearch/home
which contains the call for papers and more detailed instructions for the authors. The website will be updated on a regular basis and will contain answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and any other updates on the book progress.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forum Home Page
