Online polls have become a staple of the Internet; a very common feature used by all types of web sites. Polls can be found at the end of articles, as complements to blog posts and sometimes comprise the sole content of a web site. Sites featuring the most glib content to the most serious news stories will include online polls and online poll results, making the feature one of the most ubiquitous on the World Wide Web. The use of online panels has even become the most popular research method in Australia.^[1]

Features of the Online Poll
Online polls, surveys and verification forms may all have a similar look and many of the same characteristics. Creating a true online poll, however, means adhering to certain features of this device. How do you know you’ve got a poll on your hands? Just look for the warning signs. A poll usually presents only a single question for consideration, with multiple answers for users to pick between. Some polls may offer only a simple yes or no, while others may contain much more elaborate answers for users to click.

Online Polls on the BMJ journals
In an attempt to increase the interactivity of our sites, online polls are being implemented into the second column of each journal (see screenshot above). This positioning means that the panel will appear on every page on the journal site except the homepage. Our editors are working hard to create questions which relate specifically to articles published in the most recent issue of their journal. These questions will rotate on a monthly basis and will give us an invaluable insight into the opinions of our readers.

The following questions are currently live on the journal sites. To share your opinion, simply click on a link below, read the accompanying article and then cast your vote in the online poll which is located on the right-hand side of your screen.

• Are backpackers and gap year students a high risk group?
  (Sexually Transmitted Infections)
• Should paramedics perform prehospital endotracheal intubation?
  (Emergency Medicine Journal)
• Have any individual patient stories influenced the way in which you practice medicine?
  (Medical Humanities)
• Do you have a rapid response system in your hospital?
  (Quality and Safety in Health Care)
• Should CMS reimburse Carotid Stent procedures for equivalent indications as are currently being reimbursed for Carotid Endarterectomy?
  (Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery)