Conducting Longitudinal Research

Offering direction and advice concerning the efficient conduct of longitudinal research studies, Conducting Longitudinal Research fills a gap in the research methodology literature. Internationally, longitudinal research has become increasingly important to both the academic community and state policy-makers, as it is an important way to examine causal relationships - for example, understanding critical issues associated with ageing. While the famous 'Seven Up' study is probably the best-known, longitudinal studies can include many thousands of participants (eg The UK 'Million Women' study). The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH), which began in 1996, has 40, 000 participants who are surveyed every three years. Conducting Longitudinal Research includes topics from the researchers' experiences, strategies to encourage participants to remain in the study (often for decades), establishing succession planning for key personnel, and handling very large volumes of data. Conducting Longitudinal Research is a practical guide to the development and successful management of longitudinal studies written by researchers and personnel who have been running the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health for over ten years. In plain language, each chapter provides the reader with a thorough examination of the topic, illustrative case studies and real-life examples, timelines for project development and implementation and a chapter summary of the main points for quick reference. Conducting Longitudinal Research can be read from cover to cover, although it is designed so that each section stands alone, allowing readers a readily accessible guide to overcoming the diverse challenges that occur during longitudinal research. For example, when a participant calls the study team and asks for help with a health problem, what procedure should be used? How should the study team deal with angry callers? What measures can be set in place to avoid data loss? How should the research team ensure that participants are not lost to follow-up? Researchers establishing a longitudinal study, or who have queries about the conduct of such research - from academic research centres, government agencies or private firms - will benefit from the practicalities of undertaking longitudinal research outlined in this book. This special issue of the International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches is a peer-reviewed practical guide to the development and management of longitudinal studies. Longitudinal studies allow causal relationships to be examined and are critical to understanding issues associated with ageing. There is currently a gap in the research methodology literature for a single volume that offers direction and advice about how the practical challenges of running longitudinal research studies can be met. This series endeavours to address this gap in knowledge using the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health as a case study