Extending the capabilities of Internet-based research: lessons from the field

The ubiquity of the Internet and e-mail has resulted in a burgeoning interest in their potential for academic research. This paper summarizes the existing practices of Internet research and suggests extensions to them based on the design and administration of a large-scale, national Web survey. These extensions include consideration of new capabilities such as adaptive questions and higher levels of flexibility and control. Lessons learned include the use of a modular design, management of Web traffic, and the higher level of communication with respondents.