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Abstract

Since the 1990s, internet-mediated research has been gradually gaining ground in the Social Sciences due, in part, to the expanding use of the internet by public and private organizations and individuals for numerous purposes. Among them, online petitions are often used nowadays to garner support on an issue. In several cases, they generate interesting sets of quantitative and qualitative data that can be used to address apposite research questions related to the cause of the petition and beyond. This research note negotiates selected issues of research methodology and offers examples based on this author’s experience with analysing petition data. The low cost of the wealth of information provided partly compensates for the limitations of online petitions, which more probably will be combined with other methods of scientific research. The role of researchers remains crucial. Thorough knowledge of the broader and specialist literature and familiarity with the theme of the petition are instrumental in making the best and most valid use of petition data.

Keywords

internet-mediated research online petitions qualitative data research methodology secondary analysis

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Online petitions: new tools of secondary analysis?

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