@article{ajnr2017561,
author={Bethel, Claire},
title={An Approach to Using Social Media as a Research Platform},
journal={American Journal of Nursing Research},
volume={5},
number={6},
pages={200--201},
year={2017},
url={http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajnr/5/6/1},
issn={2378-5586},
abstract={AIM: To examine the use of the social and technology features of Facebook to recruit research participants from a closed-group. BACKGROUND: Limited research in healthcare focuses on the use of Facebook despite the many opportunities that exist. METHODS: The experience of gaining access to and recruiting participants from a closed-Facebook group using two different types of posts to advertise the study. DISCUSSION: The paper focuses on the lead author¡¯s experience of recruiting participants from a closed-group on Facebook and her experience of using two different types of posts to advertise the study. A personal post with a picture of the lead author receiving a grant to conduct the research resulted in 32% of the completed survey responses in 24 hours. CONCLUSION: Using a closed-group on Facebook was an inexpensive and successful method to survey many respondents with a shared identity from all over the United States in a short period of time. Future researchers choosing to utilize social media as a research platform should share their methods to better understand how social media can be leveraged in nursing research.},
doi={10.12691/ajnr-5-6-1}
publisher={Science and Education Publishing}
}