Clare Madge – Online research ethics
Programme of events 10:00 – 10:30Arrival, registration and coffee 10:30 – 11:00Advantages/disadvantages of online research - Henrietta 11:00 – 11:30Online questionnaires- Clare Coffee 11:45 – 12:45Hands-on-workshop online questionnaires – Rob 12:45 – 1:45Lunch 2.00 – 2:30 Online Interviews- Henrietta 2:30 – 3:30 Hands-on-workshop online interviews - Rob 3:30 – 4:00 Tea and coffee break 4:00 – 4.15 Ethics and online research - Clare Any questions?
Structure 1. Online research ethics: some thoughts 2. Informed consent 3. Confidentiality 4. Privacy 5. International inequalities 6. Scenarios
1. Online research ethics: some thoughts
2. Informed consent Informed consent Withdrawal from her research Deception
3. Confidentiality Confidentiality Subject anonymity Data security
4. Privacy Public private debate Expectations of privacy Alienation or privacy
5. International inequalities Digital divide Censorship Language issues Online power inequalities
Scenario 1 Project title: Rural experiences of 'gay' sexual identity Research questions: What is the role of the internet in providing an outlet through which rural gay males can freely express their sexual identity? Research methods: Covert observation of specific gay chat rooms of which you are a member, followed by synchronous interviews of self-selected sample gained through a message transmitted to mailists. Ethical issues?
Scenario 2 Project title: Participatory research and internet activism: how activists involved in environmental and social change politics utilise the internet – their internet activism Research questions: Exploring the opportunities and tensions the internet offers to activists. What was the role that the internet played in the broader dynamics of activism and activists everyday lives? Research methods: Onsite face-to-face interviews, followed by online interviews with participants recruited during onsite research. Ethics?
Scenario 3 Project title: Social exclusion and the internet in Tanzania Research questions: Who is using the internet in rural Tanzania, and what for? Research methods included an open-ended questionnaire of MCT users (265 responses), semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with users and non- users, and a town survey (299 responses) which collected basic socio-economic data about households and livelihoods in the town. Research methods: Online questionnaire of participants using a mutli-purpose telecenter, observation of the multi-purpose telecenter, followed by face-to-face questionnaire of non-users. Ethics?