e-Research in the Social Sciences: The Possibilities and the Reality (A Review Article)

H. Russell Searight ； R. Kirk Mauldin ； Susan Ratwik ； Richard Conboy ； Barbara K. Searight

《Current Research Journal of Social Sciences》 3卷2期 (2011/03) Pp. 71-80

並列摘要

The purpose of this review is to examine the current status as well as benefits and barriers to online research in the social sciences. With the rapid development of internet technology in the past decade, there has been growing interest in the application of on-line technologies to social science research. While there are a number of on-line sites for survey completion and centralized data sets for studying psychological, health, political and sociological issues, collaborative on-line research communities have not developed at the same pace as these other innovations. The few exploratory studies of e-research collaboration conducted to date suggest that while there are potential benefits, there are a number of social, ethical and professional barriers to its development in the social sciences. A recent curricular innovation, in which undergraduate students from different institutions work collaboratively on an on-line research project, suggests that with specific training, a number of these obstacles can be overcome. However, at this point, there appears to be more potential for collaborative online research than is being realized. Issues such as trust, ownership, and quality assurance will need to be addressed before collaborative on-line research in social science becomes a common practice.

並列關鍵字

Collaborative research ； internet ； research methodology ； social science research