Based on our experience using both paper-based and mobile phone data collection methods, we consider the advantages and disadvantages of each in relation to water and sanitation research in low-income countries. We compare the two methods in terms of Usability, Data Quality, Data Monitoring, Data Transfer, Cost, and Ethics and Corruption. We conclude that paper-based surveys are best suited for small sample sizes and/or in locations with unreliable mobile networks. Otherwise, mobile phones are an excellent, increasingly low-cost and easy to manage method for high-quality data collection.
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