Roger Tourangeau, Frederick G. Conrad, and Mick P. Couper. The Science of Web Surveys. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013. 208 pp. $67.95 (paper)

Extract

In this state-of-the-art book on survey methodology, Tourangeau, Conrad, and Couper have compiled a comprehensive research review. As the title puts it, this book takes a strong research-based approach by putting into perspective a vast number of experiments and theoretical frameworks. The authors succeed in writing succinct chapters with a strong focus on publications and results from 2000 to 2011, but they include earlier or more general material if this seems beneficial in understanding theoretical explanations or in cases of its continuing impact on online survey research.

This book offers valuable insights for practitioners and an academic audience, beginners, and experts alike. With such a complex matter as survey methodology, it is no surprise that this book does more than offer simple “yes/no” advice to difficult questions. Instead, readers are enabled to make informed methodological decisions when implementing web surveys. Following the total survey error framework, each chapter reviews the literature in order to gain a balanced understanding of survey design options and how each decision could reduce or increase total survey error as a result.