Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation is a peer-reviewed scholarly
journal freely accessible on the Internet at http://PAREonline.net
<http://pareonline.net/>

PARE has just published:

Characteristics Associated with Increasing the
Response Rates of Web-Based Surveys

Thomas M. Archer, Ohio State University Extension

Having a respectable response rate is critical to generalize the results for
any survey, and web surveys present their own unique set of issues. This
research identified web deployment and questionnaire characteristics that
were significantly associated with increasing the response rate to web-based
surveys based on a systematic evaluation of ninety-nine web-based surveys.
Thirteen web deployment characteristics and nine web-based questionnaire
survey characteristics were subjected to correlation and regression analysis
with response rate. The resultant findings prompted recommendations: [1]
Increasing the total days a questionnaire is left open, with two reminders,
may significantly increase response rates. It may be wise to launch in one
week, remind in the next week, and then send the final reminder in the third
week; [2] Potential respondents must be convinced of the potential benefit
of accessing the questionnaire; and [3] Do not be overly concerned about the
length or detail of the questionnaire - getting people to the web site of
the questionnaire is more important to increasing response rates.

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Lawrence M. Rudner, coedit...@pareonline.net  

William D. Schafer

Co-editors

Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation