To minimize harm in an online survey, a researcher should do which of the following?

Minimizing harm in an online survey is essential to protect the privacy and confidentiality of respondents. Designing the survey to avoid collecting direct or indirect identifiers is a critical step in this process. By not collecting information that can trace back to individual respondents, such as names, addresses, or specific demographic information that can be used to identify individuals, researchers significantly reduce the risk of exposing participants to potential harm, such as privacy breaches or unwanted disclosure of sensitive information.

This approach not only enhances the ethical integrity of the research but also aligns with best practices in data collection and handling. Maintaining anonymity encourages honest and candid responses from participants, ensuring that the data collected is of higher quality and accuracy.

Complex screening questions could create barriers for respondents, potentially leading to fewer participants or biased responses. Regularly changing the survey link may not effectively minimize harm as it does not address the fundamental issue of how data is collected and safeguarded. Finally, limiting the number of respondents does not inherently reduce risk; rather, it may impact the representativeness and robustness of the findings. Therefore, the best strategy for minimizing harm in this context is to design the survey in a way that avoids the collection of identifiable information.