Editing Snowball sampling (section)

==Applications==

===Requirement===

The participants are likely to know others who share the characteristics that make them eligible for inclusion in the study.<ref name="Morgan">{{cite book|last1= David L. |first1=Morgan |year=2008 |title= The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods |isbn= 9781412941631| pages= 816–817 |publisher= SAGE Publications, Inc}}</ref>

===Applicable situation===
Snowball sampling is quite suitable to use when members of a population are hidden and difficult to locate (e.g. samples of the homeless or users of illegal drugs) and these members are closely connected (e.g. organized crime, sharing similar interests, involvement in the same groups that are relevant to the project at hand).<ref name="Morgan"/>

===Application field===
{{Incomplete list|date=June 2016}}

====Social computing====

Snowball sampling can be perceived as an evaluation sampling in the [[social computing]] field. For example, in the interview phase, snowball sampling can be used to reach hard-to-reach populations. Participants or [[informant]]s with whom contact has already been made can use their social networks to refer the researcher to other people who could potentially participate in or contribute to the study.

====Conflict environments====

It has been observed that conducting research in conflict environments is challenging due to mistrust and suspicion. A conflict environment is one in which people or groups think that their needs and goal are contradictory to the goals and or needs of other people or groups. These conflicts among people or groups might include claims to territory, resources, trade, civil and religious rights that cause considerable misunderstanding and heighten disagreements, leading to an environment with lack of trust and suspicion.  In a conflict environment, the entire population (rather than a specific group of people) is marginalized to some extent, which makes it hard for investigators to reach potential participants for their research.  For example, a threatening political environment under an authoritarian regime creates obstacles for the investigators to conduct the research. Snowball sampling has been demonstrated as a useful method in conducting research in conflict environments, such as in the context of the Israel and Arab Conflict.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Arieli|first=Tamar|date=2009-06-01|title=Israeli-Palestinian border enterprises revisited|journal=Journal of Borderlands Studies|volume=24|issue=2|pages=1–14|doi=10.1080/08865655.2009.9695724|s2cid=143340129|issn=0886-5655}}</ref> Snowball sampling allows the investigators to approach the marginalized population at cognitive and emotional level and enroll them in study. Snowball sampling addresses the conditions of lack of trust that arises due to uncertainty about the future through trace-linking methodology.<ref name="Cohen 423–435">{{Cite journal|last1=Cohen|first1=Nissim|last2=Arieli|first2=Tamar|date=2011-07-01|title=Field research in conflict environments: Methodological challenges and snowball sampling|journal=Journal of Peace Research|language=en|volume=48|issue=4|pages=423–435|doi=10.1177/0022343311405698|s2cid=145328311|issn=0022-3433}}</ref>

====Expert information collection====

Snowball sampling can be used to identify experts in a certain field such as [[medicine]], [[Manufacturing|manufacturing processes]], or customer relation methods, and gather professional and valuable knowledge.

For instance, [[3M]] called in specialists from all fields that related to how a [[surgical drape]] could be applied to the body using snowball sampling. Every involved expert can suggest another expert who they may know could offer more information.

====Public and population health research with marginalized and stigmatized populations====

Snowball sampling can be used to recruit participants in research in marginalized, criminalized or other stigmatized behaviour, and its consequences. Examples include the use of illegal substances (e.g., unprescribed drugs), collection of illegal materials (e.g., ivory, unlicensed weapons), or stigmatized practices (e.g., support for anorexia, sexual fetish). Exclusion from majority society or fear of exposure or of shaming makes it difficult to contact participants through usual means. However, the nature of many of these behaviours means that people engaging in them have contact with each other. Snowball sampling is used in many studies of street-involved populations.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Marshall|first1=Brandon DL|last2=Kerr|first2=Thomas|last3=Livingstone|first3=Chris|last4=Li|first4=Kathy|last5=Montaner|first5=Julio SG|last6=Wood|first6=Evan|date=2008|title=High prevalence of HIV infection among homeless and street-involved Aboriginal youth in a Canadian setting.|journal=Harm Reduction Journal|language=en|volume=5|issue=1|page=35|doi=10.1186/1477-7517-5-35|pmid=19019253|pmc=2607257|issn=1477-7517|doi-access=free}}</ref>