Regarding the use of e-tools for data collection,
analysis and processing, more than half of respondents
(57.91%) stated that they had used
data bases while less respondents
(44.62%) used spreadsheets and software
for data visualization (43.35%).
Other e-Tools such as online survey
software (38.92%), reference management
software (38.92%), reference
management tools (32.28%) and content
analysis software (25.32%) were
also mentioned. However, it is important
to note that simulation programs
(8.23%) and distributed computing platforms
like Grids or Clusters (11.08%) are not commonly
used by researchers. In the area of preserving
and disseminating data, many communication researchers
opt for digital scientific journals (72.47%) and an
important number use open access online data storage
(53.16%) –with less respondents using restricted
access storage– and blogs (48.10%).