Chapter 1

Introduction

Technological advancements over the past two decades have resulted in an increasing number of changes, especially involving the ways in which applied linguists conduct their work. Today, a sizable amount of the research done by linguists is conducted digitally or in online settings via the internet. As such, the edited volume Digital and Internet-Based Research Methods in Applied Linguistics is devoted to exploring a range of approaches, methods, tools, and sites that are frequently leveraged by contemporary scholars. This chapter introduces readers to the edited volume. It opens by further describing the increasingly digital, online nature of scientific inquiry and research methods in applied linguistics, commenting on related affordances and challenges. This is followed by an introduction to the aims of the volume, a preview of the chapters, and finally, an overview of the internal organization of the chapters.