CS 4472/6470: Short Summary of Ethics for Projects
- Attend the ethics lectures. If you miss either lecture for any reason, you must meet with the TA before proceeding.
- Complete the online human subjects certification for each team member
(unless they already have this certification). If you already have this certification, notify the TA and he will check
that he can find it in the online system. If he can't, you'll need to provide proof or simply redo your certification.
- If you are thinking about researching a sensitive topic (ex: cancer support),
set up a meeting time with the professor to discuss it.
- You may not begin your research until your site is approved by the professor,
and all your human subjects' paperwork is in the system. If you have
not been notified by email from the TA, you have not yet been approved.
- In most cases you should ask permission of a site leader/gatekeeper before
selecting the site. Come talk to the instructor if you're not sure if you should ask.
- Participant observation
- Take detailed field notes on your experiences
- Do not log otherwise ephemeral communication without consent
- Describe who you are and what you're doing in online info about you (profile, decription, etc.)
- Interviews
- Explain what doing
- Explain disguising
- Make clear participation is voluntary and can stop at any time
- If you are interviewing an adult online or over the phone,
direct the volunteer to the web-based consent form, and ask them to complete
it.
- If you are interviewing an adult face to face, get a copy of the
paper consent form signed on paper.
- If you are interviewing a minor, you must use the parental consent and
child assent forms, and have these sent to you via fax or surface mail.
- Ask permission before turning on your tape recorder or video camera. Then turn it on. Then ask again, so you have permission on tape.
- Do not annoy people in how you request participation/consent.
- Do not engage in any deception. Reveal who you are. Do not use any identity swapping, even if it is common on the site.
- For your paper, follow disguising rules in 'names' paper.