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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has had unprecedented impacts on health systems, public health, societies and individuals globally (The Lancet Public Health, 2020). In response to outbreaks, physical distancing measures, national lockdowns and travel restrictions to control the spread of COVID-19 have been implemented in many countries (Chu et al., 2020). In response to these measures, many public health researchers are choosing to switch from standard face-to-face data collection methods to remote data collection in support of continued research. Remote data collection is defined here as the collection of data via the phone, online or other virtual platforms, with study participants and researchers physically distanced. The aim of this commentary is to summarize methods, key challenges and opportunities of remote qualitative and quantitative data collection for public health research in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The framework we use to structure our discussion is the research process, starting from sampling and culminating in analysis. Within this, we draw out the steps in research most likely to be affected by the pandemic and attendant need to cease face-to-face interactions with research participants. We identify which steps are most affected and what are potential alternatives based on interviews and discussions, held between May and June 2020, with ∼30 researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and collaborating partners, representing a range of disciplines. Interviewees were selected or volunteered themselves, based on their experience and expertise in designing and conducting remote data collection. These consultations identified the following as the steps in research most likely to require attention: sampling and recruitment; informed consent; response rates; rapport with participants; privacy and safety; and analysis. Whilst the focus of this commentary is on LMIC, many of the lessons learnt are relevant to remote data collection in high-income countries. Remote qualitative methods include online or phone-based interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs), audio-diary methods (Mupambireyi and Bernays, 2019), photovoice (use of photography to capture lived experiences) (Copes et al., 2018), video documenting, documentary analysis of social media (e.g. Facebook and WhatsApp groups, YouTube comments or podcasts) and auto-ethnography (ethnographic study on self) (Ellis and Bochner, 2000; Lupton, 2020). Remote quantitative methods include mobile phone surveys implemented using: interactive voice response (IVR), short messaging service (SMS) or computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) and self-completed online questionnaires, shared via email or social media platforms. These methods are not new (Gibson et al., 2017) with telephone and postal surveys used in higher-income countries; yet their use has become essential during the COVID-19 era to support the collection of data directly from individuals and populations. Each remote data collection method has advantages and disadvantages, which affect their feasibility and acceptability in specific settings (Table 1). For example, when considering a mobile phone survey, although IVR and SMS surveys are cheaper than CATI, they require participants to have high levels of literacy; CATI allows for the inclusion of individuals regardless of literacy and provides opportunities for researchers to encourage participation and study participants to clarify questions (Gibson et al., 2017). With widespread ownership of mobile phones in LMIC, but lower access to smartphones and the Internet, mobile phone methods are more commonly used than online methods and are a key focus of this commentary. Few of the experts interviewed had implemented or were planning online methods due, in part, to their limited reach in certain LMIC. Exceptions include online surveys planned with specific target groups, e.g. members of an established association of professionals and university students. Available qualitative and quantitative remote data collection methods, their strengths, limitations and strategies to improve the data quality of different methods Can facilitate the collection of high-quality data on personal experiences Real-time interviews allow for the interviewer to probe, check understanding and follow the direction of conversation Challenge to develop rapport and trust with the participant Inability to see visual cues reduces understanding and appropriate prompting Technological challenges with network, airtime, batteries Cost of phone technologies Disturbance by other noises and activities if participants cannot find a private space Responsibility of privacy placed on participant Training is key to developing rapport with participants over the phone, including role-play practice of interviews, especially how to set the tone at the beginning of the interview with informal conversation Phone interviews should be shorter than face-to-face interviews, to account for participant fatigue Perseverance is required to repeatedly call participants at different of and of the and call if the interview is or to Can support be and a of online need to be including as (e.g. are not is participants a and not a video phone be most appropriate in access to online is but participants to data at a and a is for data collection to personal experiences to data collection be a especially for from of or research questions in data to researchers and and video not be appropriate in settings participants what method of of data the method to the participant relevant and questions in with participants participation of data be used as for discussion in with interviews and other methods are and in the public are not for the of and not by the of or to probe, to interviews or and is a but for understanding Can capture and and to (e.g. (e.g. data on of and questions via SMS to phone with a to a response to other phone be more of et al., for short to for individuals are of May be appropriate for questions to CATI, cheaper and more individuals to at most to to CATI and IVR et al., response to CATI for which with participants with lower literacy levels need to be as is for participants to clarify questions and in be a et al., for are in SMS have data for to response with other mobile phone method to reach an to data to this is more of individuals with lower literacy levels (Gibson et al., et al., of response than SMS survey, although not more et al., to CATI, provides more et al., than SMS but cheaper than CATI personal of CATI for rapport for individuals are of for individuals to clarify questions not phone at different with SMS to response with other mobile phone method to reach response to IVR and SMS surveys et al., as interviewer to rapport and the of the study reach of with lower literacy for as is an for of questions Can more surveys than IVR and SMS surveys more quality control and for interviewer (Gibson et al., 2017) phone on different of a to interview the study participant SMS to the phone call to the study and to than mobile phone methods than mobile phone a high in a short a specific target e.g. university or members of a Can be shared via social more qualitative be the survey, which a data individuals an email or data on their phone et al., on of the survey, the be to reach of individuals with lower literacy for study participants to clarify questions an for and for individuals to the to in and questions with specific target than Can facilitate the collection of high-quality data on personal experiences Real-time interviews allow for the interviewer to probe, check understanding and follow the direction of conversation Challenge to develop rapport and trust with the participant Inability to see visual cues reduces understanding and appropriate prompting Technological challenges with network, airtime, batteries Cost of phone technologies Disturbance by other noises and activities if participants cannot find a private space Responsibility of privacy placed on participant Training is key to developing rapport with participants over the phone, including role-play practice of interviews, especially how to set the tone at the beginning of the interview with informal conversation Phone interviews should be shorter than face-to-face interviews, to account for participant fatigue Perseverance is required to repeatedly call participants at different of and of the and call if the interview is or to Can support be and a of online need to be including as (e.g. are not is participants a and not a video phone be most appropriate in access to online is but participants to data at a and a is for data collection to personal experiences to data collection be a especially for from of or research questions in data to researchers and and video not be appropriate in settings participants what method of of data the method to the participant relevant and questions in with participants participation of data be used as for discussion in with interviews and other methods are and in the public are not for the of and not by the of or to probe, to interviews or and is a but for understanding Can capture and and to (e.g. (e.g. data on of and questions via SMS to phone with a to a response to other phone be more of et al., for short to for individuals are of May be appropriate for questions to CATI, cheaper and more individuals to at most to to CATI and IVR et al., response to CATI for which with participants with lower literacy levels need to be as is for participants to clarify questions and in be a et al., for are in SMS have data for to response with other mobile phone method to reach an to data to this is more of individuals with lower literacy levels (Gibson et al., et al., of response than SMS survey, although not more et al., to CATI, provides more et al., than SMS but cheaper than CATI personal of CATI for rapport for individuals are of for individuals to clarify questions not phone at different with SMS to response with other mobile phone method to reach response to IVR and SMS surveys et al., as interviewer to rapport and the of the study reach of with lower literacy for as is an for of questions Can more surveys than IVR and SMS surveys more quality control and for interviewer (Gibson et al., 2017) phone on different of a to interview the study participant SMS to the phone call to the study and to than mobile phone methods than mobile phone a high in a short a specific target e.g. university or members of a Can be shared via social more qualitative be the survey, which a data individuals an email or data on their phone et al., on of the survey, the be to reach of individuals with lower literacy for study participants to clarify questions an for and for individuals to the to in and questions with specific target than SMS short service IVR interactive voice response CATI computer-assisted telephone interview Available qualitative and quantitative remote data collection methods, their strengths, limitations and strategies to improve the data quality of different methods Can facilitate the collection of high-quality data on personal experiences Real-time interviews allow for the interviewer to probe, check understanding and follow the direction of conversation Challenge to develop rapport and trust with the participant Inability to see visual cues reduces understanding and appropriate prompting Technological challenges with network, airtime, batteries Cost of phone technologies Disturbance by other noises and activities if participants cannot find a private space Responsibility of privacy placed on participant Training is key to developing rapport with participants over the phone, including role-play practice of interviews, especially how to set the tone at the beginning of the interview with informal conversation Phone interviews should be shorter than face-to-face interviews, to account for participant fatigue Perseverance is required to repeatedly call participants at different of and of the and call if the interview is or to Can support be and a of online need to be including as (e.g. are not is participants a and not a video phone be most appropriate in access to online is but participants to data at a and a is for data collection to personal experiences to data collection be a especially for from of or research questions in data to researchers and and video not be appropriate in settings participants what method of of data the method to the participant relevant and questions in with participants participation of data be used as for discussion in with interviews and other methods are and in the public are not for the of and not by the of or to probe, to interviews or and is a but for understanding Can capture and and to (e.g. (e.g. data on of and questions via SMS to phone with a to a response to other phone be more of et al., for short to for individuals are of May be appropriate for questions to CATI, cheaper and more individuals to at most to to CATI and IVR et al., response to CATI for which with participants with lower literacy levels need to be as is for participants to clarify questions and in be a et al., for are in SMS have data for to response with other mobile phone method to reach an to data to this is more of individuals with lower literacy levels (Gibson et al., et al., of response than SMS survey, although not more et al., to CATI, provides more et al., than SMS but cheaper than CATI personal of CATI for rapport for individuals are of for individuals to clarify questions not phone at different with SMS to response with other mobile phone method to reach response to IVR and SMS surveys et al., as interviewer to rapport and the of the study reach of with lower literacy for as is an for of questions Can more surveys than IVR and SMS surveys more quality control and for interviewer (Gibson et al., 2017) phone on different of a to interview the study participant SMS to the phone call to the study and to than mobile phone methods than mobile phone a high in a short a specific target e.g. university or members of a Can be shared via social more qualitative be the survey, which a data individuals an email or data on their phone et al., on of the survey, the be to reach of individuals with lower literacy for study participants to clarify questions an for and for individuals to the to in and questions with specific target than Can facilitate the collection of high-quality data on personal experiences Real-time interviews allow for the interviewer to probe, check understanding and follow the direction of conversation Challenge to develop rapport and trust with the participant Inability to see visual cues reduces understanding and appropriate prompting Technological challenges with network, airtime, batteries Cost of phone technologies Disturbance by other noises and activities if participants cannot find a private space Responsibility of privacy placed on participant Training is key to developing rapport with participants over the phone, including role-play practice of interviews, especially how to set the tone at the beginning of the interview with informal conversation Phone interviews should be shorter than face-to-face interviews, to account for participant fatigue Perseverance is required to repeatedly call participants at different of and of the and call if the interview is or to Can support be and a of online need to be including as (e.g. are not is participants a and not a video phone be most appropriate in access to online is but participants to data at a and a is for data collection to personal experiences to data collection be a especially for from of or research questions in data to researchers and and video not be appropriate in settings participants what method of of data the method to the participant relevant and questions in with participants participation of data be used as for discussion in with interviews and other methods are and in the public are 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