Ethics Plan
In considering my plan for how to ethically approach studying my chosen community, I first decided to determine what type of intervention I was going to undertake. Already a member of the community, albeit not a terribly active one recently, I decided that I would approach the intervention chiefly from the standpoint of a passive observer. I do not want to jeopardize any standing I have already built up in the community, and I would like to be able to come back to active participation in the future if I so choose, without burning any bridges.
Informed Consent
Once I figured this out, I then examined Figure 1 in the Kraut article regarding whether or not I need to secure informed consent from my chosen community. Technically, my research is exempt according to the definition given; the postings in the forums are publicly accessible from anyone with a web browser. However, to ensure that this was inline with the expectations of the community itself, I also researched the privacy policy stated on the home page of the site (http://www.lowcarb.ca/lccmission.html). The privacy policy explicitly tells members that the site and its forums are publicly available and that users should expect anything they post in those areas to be treated as such. The site also offers a searchable archive of forum posts, again, available to anyone with a web browser. For these reasons, I think it is reasonable for me to forego obtaining informed consent to observe forum-supported activities.
Privacy
If I get to the point where I intend to quote members of the community, I will ask permission of them individually. I will explain what I am doing and that their identifying information will not go beyond the scope of the class. Many members on this board are used to expressing their opinions publicly, as this particular style of eating tends to draw a lot of publicity and scrutiny from outsiders. However, I also want them to know that their comments in the forum will remain safe if they choose that, so I will extend to them the option to read what I intend to quote beforehand.
Informed Consent
Once I figured this out, I then examined Figure 1 in the Kraut article regarding whether or not I need to secure informed consent from my chosen community. Technically, my research is exempt according to the definition given; the postings in the forums are publicly accessible from anyone with a web browser. However, to ensure that this was inline with the expectations of the community itself, I also researched the privacy policy stated on the home page of the site (http://www.lowcarb.ca/lccmission.html). The privacy policy explicitly tells members that the site and its forums are publicly available and that users should expect anything they post in those areas to be treated as such. The site also offers a searchable archive of forum posts, again, available to anyone with a web browser. For these reasons, I think it is reasonable for me to forego obtaining informed consent to observe forum-supported activities.
Privacy
If I get to the point where I intend to quote members of the community, I will ask permission of them individually. I will explain what I am doing and that their identifying information will not go beyond the scope of the class. Many members on this board are used to expressing their opinions publicly, as this particular style of eating tends to draw a lot of publicity and scrutiny from outsiders. However, I also want them to know that their comments in the forum will remain safe if they choose that, so I will extend to them the option to read what I intend to quote beforehand.
posted by Tremags @ 1:33 PM
2 comments
