Thoughts on Ethics and online research and the British Sociological Assocation’s Statement
I’ve been working through the British Sociological Association’s statement in more detail and produced this summary diagram of what I think are the key points.
Online research presents particular problems for researchers. There are some contexts that become really quite complex ethically, involving online work – particularly the public / private debate and when consent should be gained or not. The issue of researching forums is one that requires careful ethical consideration. It requires consent from all of those involved, including the tutor and the student participants. The right to withdraw, I think, effectively means that if anyone requests this, the research on that forum can’t continue. Of course, there is also the issue of the power relations of the researcher to the research participants. Researching one’s own forums, for example, could lead to a situation where students might think that participation in the research was a requirement of the course, and that could be ethically problematic.
The best way to proceed is with a sensible amount of caution, a desire to ensure that no one is deliberately injured or disadvantaged by my research and ensure an ongoing review.
I found some great resources on ethics from the University of Leicester.
Here is the link:
Online Research Ethics
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