Survey Methodology
I have written software in the programming language PHP, and set up a mySQL database to store any data on my website server.
Authentication has traditionally been a weakness of online surveys and polls. Using traditional means, it's possible that one person could fill out a survey more than once, thus invalidating any information gathered. I have taken a series of groundbreaking and crucial steps to remedy these traditional flaws and maintain the integrity of data collected through an online survey.
Using their API (application programming interface), I have programmed the survey to connect to The Facebook (facebook.com) online social network. There are several reasons for doing this. Most importantly, it offers an easy way to authenticate users. When registering for the site, college students sign up with their college e-mail address (username@college.edu). The .edu suffix indicates that they are a college student or faculty member, and offers a way to uniquely identify users. Those people who fill out my survey must already be members of The Facebook.
When filling out the survey, the only data collected about a user is a unique ID number which has already been created by Facebook. ID numbers are public information, and simply offer a secure way of identifying users. No other personal information is gathered in this process, thus protecting those who have taken the survey.
Consent can be obtained electronically since subjects are all 18 years of age or older. The survey will explicitly require this age requirement. Users will be authenticated by having to login to their Facebook accounts. Additionally, they will be required to read the consent form, and then click a button saying "I CONSENT" to proceed with the survey. If they fail to consent, they will be taken back to the website's homepage and will not take the survey.