Research Methodologies and Standards During a Pandemic

The global pandemic has raised new challenges for the research community. While the internet has been a widely used resource for years, public health measures have centred the internet in all of our lives. The internet is now a library, a meeting room, a project space, and a primary platform for fieldwork planning and implementation for every discipline. 

As researchers are pushed to conduct more of their previously analog research activities online, it is important to be familiar with the existing standards and best practices for internet-based research. 

Internet-Based Fieldwork 

Conducting internet-based fieldwork requires special consideration and planning in order to mitigate the additional risks to privacy, security, and academic rigor. The list below provides resources for internet-based fieldwork that reflect best practice in online research methodology. The list includes resources that have been specifically created in response to the new challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• [Blog post] Ethnography at an impasse? Fieldwork reflections during a pandemic. (2020).
• [Blog Post/Resource List] Virtual Not Viral’s Resources for Managing Your Research. Includes resources for fieldwork, online methods & ethics. 
• [Web-sourced document] Lupton, D. (editor) (2020) Doing fieldwork in a pandemic (crowd-sourced document).
• [Listserv] The Association for Internet Researchers is a research community established in 1999 that has a mailing list for members to discuss challenges in conducting online research, teaching online, and other issues related to internet research. Most members research the internet itself, and have a wealth of knowledge about data collection online.

Internet-Based Research Methods

• The Vitalities Lab, UNSW Sydney, has developed two open access resources concerning research methods that are specifically designed for teaching and learning purposes:
• [Video] Breaking Methods is a newly launched Youtube channel that hosts short-form webinars on innovative methods.
• [Article] Paphitis, S. (2020, June 29). Thinking about digital research during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.
• [Website] MethodsSpace (SAGE Publishing): Career Skills - Graphic Recording. “Graphic recording is a method for using visuals to support communication and understanding during real-time dialogue. Hand-drawn illustrations allow teams to simultaneously collect, analyze, and report qualitative data about people and groups.”
• [Blog post] Kara, H. (2020). Research Methods to Consider in a Pandemic
• [Website] National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM)’s Research Methods Bulletin - May 2020
• [Article] Pell, B., Williams, D., Phillips, R., Sanders, J., Edwards, A., Choy, E., & Grant, A. (2020). Using visual timelines in telephone interviews: Reflections and lessons learned from the star family study. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 1609406920913675. doi:10.1177/1609406920913675
• [Blog post] Gardner, B. (2020, June 17). Challenges of Doing Research in a Pandemic: Reframing, Adapting and Introducing qualitative methods
• [Resource List]. Switching to teaching, learning and researching online - what does it mean for research methods? 

Internet-Based Community Engagement

• [Article] "Resources for Hosting Online Cafes in the Time of Pandemic” Tips for facilitating online Conversation Cafes, as a process of building connection and collective wisdom. 
• [Recorded webinars] Community-Based Research Canada Webinars 
• [Article] Sustaining Community Research Partnerships During COVID 19 - Summary of a North America wide virtual discussion, with links to resources and community discussion document.