Methodological Reflections on Online Data Collection during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The pandemic closed the door for the use of conventional, face-to-face data collection methods. At the same time, it built a momentum for the exploration and utilization of online data collection methods. However, the belief about superiority of the offline data collection persists. The literature review and the authors’ research experience reveal that offline and online data collection methods yield similar result in terms of data completion and quality. All data collection methods contain weaknesses and strengths. Nonetheless, the online data collection methods are very versatile. They allow the researchers to choose the tools that best align with their research objectives.

Keywords

• research amidst the pandemic
• collection methods
• research ethics