The history of internet research methods is, naturally, much shorter than the histories of other research methods in the social sciences, though no less rich or significant as a result. The early development of distributed networked communications in the 1960s and 1970s can be seen as a relevant pre-history and emergence period for the internet, and consequently the birth of the world wide web in the early 1990s saw the internet truly break out from being a rather technical tool into a more ubiquitous aspect of everyday life. This four-volume collection begins with some of the earliest works on what was or was to become the internet, moving methodically through to present-day issues. The esteemed editorial team has selected for inclusion literatures which address a wide range of topics, and the collection is further set in context by an illuminating introductory chapter in Volume 1.
