The Exploration of Research Ethics Regarding Online Research Methods Using Academic Years 1996-2008 Session Educational Theses as an Example

Author: Bei-Shian Chen(Department of Education, National Taipei University of Education)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 56, No. 2
Date：June 2011
Pages：27-67
DOI：10.3966/2073753X2011065602002

Abstract：

The Internet has emerged as a major data resource for social science research, and researchers should bear an ethical responsibility. The aim of this article is to explore the research ethics regarding online methods for educational theses from 1996 to 2008 sessions using literacy analysis and content analysis to facilitate understanding of research ethics. Problems of online research methods regarding research ethics include: source information, agreement, notification, rights of participants, secrecy, and privacy. For example, issues regarding source information include response rate, repeating scale, and sampling selection bias, which requires particular attention. Based on the aforementioned concerns, solutions can be sought to establish ethical research environments, such as education pertaining to Internet techniques, the exploration of research method and methodology, and familiarization of the norms for ethical Internet research. Therefore, ethics regarding literacy, the Internet, and research methods and methodology have become increasingly vital for researchers.

Keywords：research ethics, Internet, online research

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