Introducing Waves: A Better Way to Conduct Longitudinal and Daily Diary Studies on Connect 

Introducing Waves: A Better Way to Conduct Longitudinal and Daily Diary Studies on Connect 

Perhaps the greatest advantage of online research is that it gives behavioral scientists access to people and data. When online research was new, researchers thought access meant more diverse participants. But today, researchers are realizing that access also means people’s time and the ability to conduct more complex studies.  

Longitudinal and daily diary studies are among the most complex projects within the behavioral sciences. These studies are important. They allow researchers to see how behavioral phenomena change over time. However, given their complexity, they are also time-consuming and difficult to implement. That is why CloudResearch is introducing Waves—a tool designed to streamline and automate multi-stage studies on Connect. 

The Problem: A Tedious and Manual Process 

Here’s something that happened recently.  

A  researcher contacted me and asked to discuss a daily diary study with three touch points each day for 27 straight days. We chatted about the details, and then we realized: under normal circumstances, each wave of data collection would need to be set up and managed individually. For this project, that meant creating 81 separate studies. That’s a lot of manual work, and it doesn’t include the best practices we’ve worked out for longitudinal studies, such as sending study reminders, tracking participant responses, and offering bonuses based on performance. 

The workload got our team thinking…there must be a better way. 

The Solution: Waves to Simplify Longitudinal Research 

With Waves, we eliminated the hassle of setting up and managing multi-stage studies. Researchers can now configure their entire study in one shot, using our setup wizard. After specifying some global settings such as the number and frequency of waves, you can specify when each wave should launch, which participants are eligible for participation, and how much each person will be paid. Once you launch the project, Waves handles the logistics, allowing you to focus on what truly matters—analyzing your data and drawing meaningful conclusions. 

Here’s some of what makes Waves valuable: 

• Automated Study Setup: Researchers can define the full timeline of a study, including all survey waves, in a single session. Once the timeline is set, the project gets cloned saving you time. 

• Seamless Participant Management: Participants are automatically assigned to the correct study waves based on eligibility criteria set by you. 

• Integrated Reminders and Notifications: Waves makes it easy to email participants with reminders when a new wave is available or when deadlines are approaching. All you have to do is copy and paste people’s participant IDs and craft your message. In the future, these messages will be automated. 

• Flexible Incentive Structures: Waves makes it easy to set up bonuses for participants who complete a certain number of study waves, helping boost retention rates. 

• Efficient Data Collection: Real-time tracking ensures researchers can monitor participation and make adjustments as needed. 

Built on Our Expertise in Online Research 

The CloudResearch team has spent years refining the methods of online research, including the best practices for longitudinal studies. The knowledge we’ve gained comes from looking at the thousands of longitudinal projects on our site, working with IARPA to conduct the largest longitudinal study ever run online, and listening to feedback from researchers like you.   

Everything we’ve learned, we put into Waves. This means it’s now easier and faster than ever to keep response rates high, hand out bonuses to keep participants engaged, and track how many studies each participant has completed. See what Waves can do for yourself by joining our beta mode today! 

Get Started with Waves 

Are you planning a longitudinal or daily diary study? If so, streamline your project and explore Waves today!