ABSTRACT

This chapter provides an analytic and useful guide for fan studies scholars intending to use surveys in their scholarship. Adherence to clearly communicated ethics should be a central consideration of fan studies research in general regardless of the method used, and should consequently be a keystone element of survey research. There are a variety of different free survey websites available, such as Survey Expression, Survey Monkey, and Google Forms. When distributing the survey and connecting with fans to solicit participation, then care should be taken to be as respectful as possible. One advantage of online survey tools is that they can very often offer statistical analysis of the data, grouping them into percentages, graphs, and pie charts, and collate written responses to open ended questions. Surveys authored in one language can also exclude those who do not speak the language, thus not including a rich variety of international perspectives.