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Virtual Research

Virtual research can refer to both data collection by means of the internet and research about the internet itself. Because the latter is more about “researching the virtual” than about “virtual research” as method, this entry focuses on the internet as a tool for gathering data from participants and locating data sources for qualitative research projects.

Types of Virtual Research Methods

When the internet is used as a research tool, computer-mediated communication (CMC) drives the data-gathering process (through interviews, observational techniques, document analysis, etc.). CMC refers to a situation in which individuals communicate across a computer network. In an interview, the researcher and participant might interact over email or via real-time chat. In observational studies, the researcher might observe participants' communication patterns in a virtual community. In document analysis, the researcher might examine the linguistic details of individuals' web postings.

Interviews

In broad terms, two types of interviews are discussed in the virtual context: standardized (i. e., structured) and nonstandardized (i. e., semi-structured or unstructured) interviews. In standardized online interviews, participants are asked specific questions and must answer the questions according to predetermined responses. In essence, this process resembles the administration of a questionnaire and typically lends itself to a more quantitative style of analysis and reporting. Email and web-based surveys are commonly seen as possibilities for administering this type of questionnaire. When email is used to administer a structured interview online, the survey can be sent as a text or HTML file, as an attachment, or using a survey design program. Typically, participants complete the appropriate responses and send the files back via email. Web-based surveys, where a researcher can create a survey (i.e., a structured interview) that will look the same to all participants and can be accessed via a website address (URL), are also commonly used. Once participants hit “submit” on the web survey, the data file is sent to a private location on the researcher's server.

In nonstandardized interviews (individual and group), participants are not limited by predetermined responses. As with all interview methods, the interviews must strike a balance between the participants' responses and the research goals so that the participants do not stray completely off-topic. With nonstandardized virtual interviews, one must again select the type of tool used to administer the interviews. Typically, this involves choosing between synchronous (e.g., videoconferencing) and asynchronous (e.g., email) modes of communication, with synchronous tools providing more flexibility for negotiating responses and gaining immediate clarification from respondents.

Observational Studies

Observational methods are often used in virtual environments because researchers are less reliant on retrospective accounts from participants and can watch events unfold. Such studies can use participant observation (i.e., researchers engage in the community they are studying) or nonparticipant observation (i.e., researchers observe the community but are not active participants) to examine individuals' interactions in virtual spaces. As studies of virtual communities become more common, so too do observational studies in virtual environments. Observational studies may examine the linguistic structures present in virtual communities, or they may examine the cultures that exist in these virtual communities. In all cases, the researcher must select a “space” in which to conduct the research (e.g., a public newsgroup that examines global warming).

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