Website of Research Study

	Number of page views Number of unique and returning visitors Origin of site visitors by country Time on site Requests from the public for more information Requests from health care providers and researchers for more information

Some large research studies have websites affiliated with the study such as the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS). There are several means of tracking use of the website such as number of page views, origin of site visitors by country, number of unique visitors. Another means of assessing knowledge transfer is to document the number of requests for more information from the public and from health care providers/researchers.

The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) uses the following criteria:

• Returning Visitors
  • Number of persons who returned to the website with a cookie from the website an hour or more later
• First Time Visitors
  • Number of persons who visit the site with cookies disabled (There is no way to determine if these visitors are new or returning)
• Unique Visitors
  • Number of persons who visit the site
• Page Loads
  • The number of times your page has been visited
• Origin of Site Visitors by Country
  • Number of countries represented by visitors based on domain addresses
• Visitor Length
  • The length of time the site was viewed by a visitor

Another form of assessment related to a website is to track the number of requests received from consumers and/or health care providers and researchers for more information. Documentation by research study investigators of requests for more information is recommended.

Assessment

Consult with the information technology department that provides website support for more information on website statistics. Also, documentation by research study investigators of requests for more information is recommended for tracking of knowledge transfer.

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Last updated: April 27, 2009