Conducting Ethical Research Online: Respect for Individuals, Identities and the Ownership of Words

Abstract

Online research introduces new ethical issues inherent to the medium. In this chapter we provide a case study of online research in action, focusing on the ethical issues of conducting qualitative research within virtual environments. The case study provides an example of how research can be conducted within virtual environments with the consent of research participants and their community, without compromising their confidentiality, violating their assumptions of privacy or infringing upon their copyright entitlements.