Ethical Guidelines for the Online Researcher

Transcription

1 Ethical Guidelines for the Online Researcher The practice of using the internet as a tool for social science research is a comparatively new phenomenon. It is of paramount importance that the researcher wishing to embark on a study that involves accessing participants through internet sites such as blogs, bulletin boards, online communities or internet forums, understands the ethical issues that may arise from this style of research. Whilst the internet is becoming subject to legislation, a code of practice for the online researcher does not appear to exist in one clear format. Issues such as intellectual property, security of information, obtaining written consent and personal and participant safety are just some of the issues for online research. It is the purpose of this document to guide the online researcher in what has been described as netiquette ; the need to act at all times in a manner that respects and protects both the researcher and the online participants. Some key points 1. This is a guide and not an exhaustive list 2. All online research must be approved by IASREC before commencement 3. The researcher must at all times treat the online community with the same level of courtesy and respect that would be afforded to the offline community 4. The ethical standards of practice expected of researchers in the real world do not change for the online researcher. This document has in places been adapted from Bruckman A (2004) (see reference list) and assumes that you are already familiar with the basic requirements of human subjects research. We need firstly to accept that no one set of rigid rules can ever capture the subtlety of ethical situations that may arise. The following 'rules of thumb' are intended as a general guide only and not an exhaustive list. 1. You may freely quote and analyse online information without consent if: o It is officially, publicly archived. o No password is required for archive access. o No site policy prohibits it.

2 o The topic is not sensitive. For everything else not covered by 1, you typically need consent 2. Electronic consent It is acceptable to post a consent form on an internet site that has been generated by the researcher. The guidance on using chat rooms for research purposes appears to indicate that prior to the discussion taking place a posting is to be made that details the research purposes, right to withdraw, confidentiality, how to make a complaint etc. People will be asked to complete the consent form and from this they follow a link that allows access to the main chat room. In the case of accessing established online communities/blog pages for the purpose of recruiting participants for a study, a copy of the consent form, right to withdraw, how to make a complaint etc must be ed directly to the participants and returned (via ) before the study commences. It is for the researcher to develop a system of coding to allow the removal of information from the study should a participant wish to withdraw. 3. The process of requesting consent must not disrupt normal group activity e.g. when accessing chat rooms it is not acceptable to log into an active conversation and ask for permission to record the online chat, you must announce your research intentions prior to entering the general discussion and have sought permission from participants before hand. 4. When recording material that would otherwise be ephemeral, such as discussing deviant / illegal behaviours, consideration should be given to whether the act of recording potentially creates risks for subjects. 5. Be open and honest. Tell the respondents what support you are able/not able to offer. Identify any potential benefits and/or harm and make it clear what will happen to the data collected, how will it be used, who will have access to it. 6. Covert observation in chat rooms It is the decision of IASREC that covert observations of online communities is not acceptable. 7. Supply a link to the institution/researcher responsible for the research study

3 8. Before the start of a study, the researchers and IASREC must decide whether subjects' identities will be disguised, and if so to what degree. Note that pseudonyms function similarly to real names, and should be treated in the same way one treats real names Because: Levels of disguising: They are often de facto traceable to real names. People care about the reputation of their pseudonyms. In other words, they function for most purposes just like real names, and should be treated the same way. No disguise The Internet is rather like a playground for amateur artists. In many cases, people deserve credit for their creative work. Pseudonyms and real names may be used with permission of the individual. The individual's claim to copyright over the work is respected. The real author of the work is verified. (Some work may be copied or highly derivative, meaning credit belongs to the original author.) The researcher should omit details that would be harmful to the subject if revealed. Light disguise The group is named. Pseudonyms and some other identifying details (place names, organisational and institutional names, etc.) are changed. Verbatim quotes may be used, even if they could be used to identify an individual. Group members themselves may be able to guess who is being discussed. An outsider could probably figure out who is who with a little investigation.

4 Details that are harmful to individuals should be omitted. Moderate disguise A compromise position is chosen, incorporating some features of light disguise and some of complete disguise, as appropriate to the situation. Details of the specific compromise are reviewed by the researcher's ethics committee. Complete disguise The group is not named. Pseudonyms and other identifying details are changed. Verbatim quotes are not used if a search mechanism could link those quotes to the person in question. Some false details may be deliberately introduced. For example, if you are studying a support site for a chronic disease, you might change the disease in published accounts. A subject might or might not recognise themselves. No one else would recognise the subject. Someone deliberately seeking to find a subject's identity would be unable to do so. Details that would be harmful to the subject if disclosed may be revealed. Discussion These guidelines represent an interpretation of what is considered ethical practice when using the internet for research purposes. This style of research may include accessing online communities, news groups or bulletin boards. These guidelines do not address the steps one needs to take to assure that research is accurate. Use of online media introduces new risks of error, for example indiscriminate use of low-quality or erroneous information found online, errors of sampling method, etc. Taking reasonable steps to prevent error is also an ethical obligation of researchers, but is beyond the scope of this document.

5 Situated Research It's important to remember that all "Internet research" takes place in an embedded social context. To understand Internet-based phenomena, you need to understand that broader context. Consequently, most "online research" really also should have an offline component, and many ethical issues become identical to those for traditional research, such as the need to gain written consent from participants. Research Integrity Versus Ethical Obligations A frequent mistake made by many Internet researchers is, when faced with a trade off between needs of subjects and integrity of the research, to give priority to the integrity of the research. On further reflection, it should be obvious that this reasoning is faulty--the rights of subjects come first. For example, when faced with situations where getting consent from potential study participants in a computer-mediated communication forum is logistically difficult or potentially disruptive to the environment, some researchers have concluded that consent is not required. In fact, consent is still required, and substantially disrupting the environment is not acceptable. In such a situation, the investigator must fundamentally rethink the research plan or even abandon it, not lessen their ethical obligations. Many errors in research ethics stem from a researcher's sincere dedication to the quality of results. While producing quality research results is in itself an ethical imperative, it always takes a back seat to the needs of subjects. Consent from Whom? Where consent is required, you need to get consent from each individual you wish to record, quote, or study in any way. In cases where you have a vulnerable or under-age population, you need permission of the group's leader/ gatekeeper before you may solicit participation. A group leader may be an individual or an organisation. (You must remember that if you are considering using an under-age population or vulnerable group, you must have sought and been granted permission from IASREC prior to seeking permission from the site gatekeeper ). For regular groups, you do NOT need permission of the group leader to ask for voluntary participation from individuals, unless that is explicitly required by a posted site policy. "Official" Archives

6 An archive is "official" if its presence is announced in the welcome message sent to new group members, or the archive address is regularly posted to the list or noted in a group FAQ. An archive is public if it is accessible without a password. The point of this language is to try to articulate how we as researchers can determine when members of a list have a reasonable expectation that their communication is private, and when there is no such expectation. Some frequently asked questions Research on Chat rooms Q: What if the gatekeeper says no to my request, doesn't this make it difficult to do research on chat rooms? A: Yes, it does. One suggested technique is to create your own chat room just for the purposes of your study. When you create your own chat room, you can greet each person joining the channel/room with a message informing them about the study. Depending on the nature of the study, a channel logon message may be sufficient, you will also need to get informed consent from participants. Changing Risk Levels Q: My research started off as "low risk" but something unanticipated that is more controversial happened. What do I do? A: Consult your supervisor and they will guide you. You may need to abandon the study or re-think your strategies. The need may arise to go back to the ethics committee to seek new approval if the focus / risk level has changed. In some cases, you may need to with hold some information from your publications. For example, in reports on one educational environment the author created, it would shed light on important issues to comment on some children's personal problems. However, because it was impossible to disguise their identity sufficiently, this information was omitted from publications. While this does diminish the quality of the scholarship, there was really no alternative. Consent Q: The forum I want to use for my research has a posting that says I must seek consent from the forum manager before contacting / posting

7 on the site. I have ed many times asking for permission but got no reply, can I go ahead and make direct contact with forum members? A: No. If the site clearly states that permission must be sought then it is the belief of the forum members that they will not be solicited directly. If consent is not obtainable you will need to abandon this site and move to another. Intellectual ownership Q: Surely if someone has gone online and posted a comment about themselves, they cannot expect that information to be private, can they? Surely I can use that information if I wish without seeking their consent A: This continues to be a debated issue. Who owns a message once it has been placed on a message board? Private versus public? I would suggest you read Mann and Stewart (2000) chapter 3 (see reference list) to fully appreciate the complexities of this issues. Safeguarding privacy Q: If I set up my own discussion board/blog page can anyone else access these without my permission? I have heard that other search engines can gain access without my knowing, is this right? A: Yes it is possible for other providers to gain direct access to the message boards on your site. You will need to make sure you have put safeguards in place to limit this occurring. The researcher keeping safe in the online world It is important to consider your own safety when carrying out online research. Here are some key safety points Never use your home / personal address. Either use your university account for correspondence or set up an internet account that can be closed after the research has taken place. Never post personal details that are not relevant to the research study on a forum / blog / internet page. If you need participants to

8 post a consent form or questionnaire back to you, then consider using the University address or create a PO box address. Never arrange to meet a participant in person that you do not know or have not corresponded with in person (via telephone). If you do wish to carry out a face-to-face interaction with them, then you must follow the same guidelines for any other research project. You will find reference to online safety in Mann and Stewart (2000) chapter 3 (see reference list). These guidelines are not an exhaustive list. It is important that you read widely before considering online research as there are many pitfalls and complexities that need your attention before you commence. Essential reading Mann, C. and Stewart, F. (2000) Internet Communication and Qualitative Research. A Handbook for Researching Online. London. Sage Publication Please refer to the additional reading list for detailed information on using the internet for research purposes. Should you wish to discuss this document in any detail, or, would like further information on carrying out online research please feel free to contact Alison Tresidder-Spivey, Lecturer Sociology/Criminology department, Polhill Campus, Bedford. Alison.Tresidder-Spivey@beds.ac.uk

9 Using the internet as a tool for research purposes. Sources of information Brownlow, C. and O Dell L. (2002) Ethical issues for Qualitative Research in On-line Communities. Disability & Society. Vol. 17. No. 6, 2002, pp Buchanan, E, A. (eds) (2004) Readings in Virtual Research Ethics. Hershey. Information Science Publishing. - (An excellent source of information and recommended by many other writers as the book to consult if considering using the internet as a research tool) Clegg, B. (2006) Studying using the web: the student's guide to using the ultimate information resource. Oxford: Routledge. - (Section on using newsgroups and forums for academic study) Flicker, S., Haans, D. and Skinner, H. (2004) Ethical Dilemmas in Research on Internet Communities. Qualitative Health Research, vol.14 No. 1, January , Hine, C. (2005) Virtual Methods: Issues in Social Research on the Internet. Oxford. Berg - (Section on ethical considerations) Jones, S.G. (editor) (1999) Doing Internet Research. Critical Issues and Methods for Examining the Net. London. Sage. Mann, C. and Stewart, F. (2000) Internet Communication and Qualitative Research. A Handbook for Researching Online. London. Sage Publication - (An excellent source of information and recommended by many other writers as the book to consult if considering using the internet as a research tool) Nancarrow, C., Pallister, J. and Bruce, I. (2001) 'A New Research Medium, New Research Populations and Seven Deadly Sins for Internet Researchers', Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp

10 O Dochartaigh, N. (2002) The Internet Research Handbook. A Practical Guide for Students and Researchers in the Social Sciences. London. Sage Publications. - (Has a chapter on making contact and netiquette. Details the correct way to make contact with online news groups, using bulletin boards and making contact with other researchers). Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2008) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. Rev. ed. Newcastle upon Tyne: Pear Tree books. - (Covers how to reference web pages, blogs, wikis, social networking sites etc. and how to avoid plagiarism). Internet sources Bruckman, A. (2002) Ethical Guidelines for Research Online. Available at: Sociological Research Online. Via the University Library page Sociological Research Online : Internet [electronic resource]. Available in Ebscohost EJS. This is an invaluable source for anyone considering using the internet / internet users for their social science research. This site has many links to journal articles that have addressed the ethical issues surrounding online research practices. Key articles Chen, P and Hinton, S.M. (1999) 'Realtime Interviewing Using the World Wide Web' Sociological Research Online Vol. 4, No. 3 Coomber, R. (1997) 'Using the Internet for Survey Research' Sociological Research Online, vol. 2, no. 2, Denscombe, M. (2005) Research Ethics and the Governance of Research Projects: the Potential of Internet Home Pages. Sociological Research Online, Volume 10, Issue 3, Illingworth, N. (2001) 'The Internet Matters: Exploring the Use of the Internet as a Research Tool'. Sociological Research Online, vol. 6, no. 2,

11 Other sources that will help guide your practice MRS (2004) Code and Guidelines: Internet Research Guidelines, Market Research Society. < Professional Associations e.g. British Sociological Association. British Association of Social Workers. British Psychological Society (2007). Report of the Working Party on Conducting Research on the Internet. The data Protection Act