Social Media, Research Ethics and Your Research - Research Week 2014 Presentation

Contact Info: www.ecu.edu.au/research/weekwww.ecu.edu.au/research/week
Social media, research ethics and your research
Kim Gifkins, ECU Research Ethics Officer
Natacha Suttor, ECU Senior Online Marketing Coordinator
Social media platforms (like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) represent incredible
potential for researchers to conduct research and recruit survey participants. However
the old rules still apply, along with some new rules too.
This presentation looks at current and emerging issues in conducting research on social
media and recruiting participants using social media channels. It also covers guidelines
that apply to your activities, examples and some best practices.

Contact Info: www.ecu.edu.au/research/weekwww.ecu.edu.au/research/weekwww.ecu.edu.au/research/week
Fundamental shift
Participants will access and
share your surveys in
different ways.
Online
Survey
www.
Online
Survey
www.
Information
Letter
Information
Letter
This may happen with, or without, your awareness or consent…This may happen with, or without, your awareness or consent…
Information
Letter
Information
Letter
Online
Survey
www.
Online
Survey
www.
++

Preparing your survey for distributing #1
Step One:
In Qualtrics: Customise the social
media options to include an
informative title and description.
• Different platforms can
truncate/display this content
differently

Preparing your survey for distributing #2
Step Two:
Use a link abbreviator (e.g. TinyURL, bit.ly, owl.ly, goo.gl) to create an
easy to remember short link.
It’s easier to remember and you’ll need it if you’re planning to recruit on
Twitter.
Qualtrics Link
https://jfe.qualtrics.com/form/SV_b7n
812lzS15MJ7L
Using owl.ly link abbreviator
http://ow.ly/BxQ3T
Online
Survey
www.
Online
Survey
www.
Information
Letter
Information
Letter
Qtip:
http://www.qualtrics.com/university/researchsuite/dist
ributing/basic-distribution/anonymous-survey-link/

Distributing your survey #1
Step One:
Ask if a news item could be added to (relevant) websites,
ECU’s or those external to ECU.
Note:
• Be prepared to write the suggested news item and
title, and get approval for it from Research Ethics (as
well as the site owner)
• In the case of ECU, this could be your School’s
website (if your intention is to recruit from the wider
community) and/or the Student news portal (if your
intention is to recruit participants from ECU students
who read the portal)
• Always at the discretion of site owners: may depend
on their news schedule and priorities as well as their
objectives for their audiences and the site

Public Facing
School site
Internal Facing
Student News
Online
Survey
www.
Online
Survey
www.
Information
Letter
Information
Letter

Step Two:
Ask if your survey can be shared on existing social
media presences, ECU’s or those external to ECU,
where your survey is relevant.
Note:
• Be prepared to write the suggested post, and get
approval for it from Research Ethics (as well as
the site owner)
• Always at the discretion of channel owners: may
depend on their posting schedule and priorities as
well as their objectives for their audiences and the
presence
• Some owners may decline to post on your behalf
but allow you to post to their page

Posts by Others
to Page
Post by Page
Online
Survey
www.
Online
Survey
www.
Information
Letter
Information
Letter

ResearchResearch
GRSGRS
AlumniAlumni
(G)
Current
Students
Current
Students
Prospective
Students
Prospective
Students
Western Australian Academy
of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
Western Australian Academy
of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
• Company Page
• University Page
Focus on channels that will tap into
existing audiences
• For Facebook, the ECU Research
page would be primary poster of
calls to participants (of the ECU
Facebook channels)
• Owners of other ECU pages may
choose to share*
• For ECU channels on other
platforms: if there’s a news item on
a public ECU site (red), owners of
presences on those platforms may
choose to share*
• Groups you’re a member of?
ECUSRIECUSRI
(G)

Tips on sharing on social media
• Write for your audience and your (desired) participants
• Establish a hierarchy of information
1. Grab their attention with strong (and accurate) call to
action (e.g. why they might be interested, why they might
want to help)
2. Don’t waste their time, be upfront:
A. Who might be eligible
B. How long a commitment
3. Who are you (not personal details) and why you’re doing
this research
• Write to the information hierarchy (fields are platform specific),
in terms of what goes where e.g.
– What is in the headline/first sentence?
– What is in the body text?
– What is in the social sharing metadata (editable*)
Platform tips at the end, if we have time…Platform tips at the end, if we have time…

Everyone elseEveryone else
When good intentions go pearshaped…
When people will share with/without your knowledge, things have the potential to go haywire.
Can be compounded if:
• You need to recruit one-on-one/face-to-face, and/or
• You are researching a subject/area/instance that is sensitive, and/or
• You are recruiting from a very limited/select pool, and/or
• The survey needs to be “invite only”
It is important you set clear can do/can’t do boundaries from the start and in every
transaction.
Desired
survey
participants
Desired
survey
participants
Recruiter / Recruitment
Method
In a perfect world…
You

National Statement – advice on social media?
• “On-line research includes conducting on-line real-time
group discussions using web-based chat-room
technology (also known as E-groups) through the use
of electronic bulletin boards and moderated email
groups. On-line recruitment of participants provides
the opportunity for extensive global participation in
research. Data collection and dissemination can also
be utilised on-line.”
• A person’s decision to participate in research is to be:
• voluntary
• based on sufficient information and adequate
understanding of both the proposed research
and the implications of participation in it

National Statement
5.2.16 Information about research should be presented
to participants in ways that help them to make good
choices about their participation, and support them in
that participation.
5.2.23 All documents and other material used in
recruiting potential research participants, including
advertisements, letters of invitation, information
sheets and consent forms, should be approved by the
review body.
5.2.25 In addition, a review body should retain on file a
copy of each research proposal and application for
ethical approval, including any information sheets,
consent forms or relevant correspondence, in the form
in which they were approved.

Is social media right for your research?
• Social media ≠ cheapest
• Social media ≠ more
participants
• Social media ≠ least amount of
effort
• Social media ≠ last ditch solve
• Need to consider:
• How it addresses
research aims and
questions
• How it affects the
results of research

What will the ethics committee want to know?
Desired
survey
participants
Desired
survey
participants
• Participants
– Who are they? Who are they identifying as
online?
– How will you ask them to take part?
– Are you involving particular groups of
participants (e.g. children, young people,
Indigenous Australians, etc)
• Procedures
– What are you asking participants to do?
– Where will data collection take place?
• Data/information/samples
– Confidentiality
– Data retention

STREAM ethics application

Informed consent
The information must be presented in
ways suitable to each participant
• Plain language
• Purpose, methods, demands, risks and
potential benefits
• Opportunity to think about information
• Ask any questions
Tools & Guides:
• How to Write in Plain English www.plainenglish.co.uk/files/howto.pdf
• Measuring Text (For Websites) Readability: www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/measuring-text-readability and calculator www.standards-
schmandards.com/exhibits/rix/
• Gunning Fog Index calculator: gunning-fog-index.com/
NS: Whether or not participants will be identified, research
should be designed so that each participant’s voluntary
decision to participate will be clearly established.

Online surveys/questionnaires – HREC advice
Where researchers propose conducting an online survey
for research purposes (e.g. via Qualtrics, Survey
Monkey), people may pass on the URL of the survey
without the information letter or statement that informs
participants about the research project. This can lead to
a situation where data may be collected without informed
consent – one of the possible consequences is that the
data may then not be able to be used for the project.
Where researchers propose data collection via an online
survey, the information letter or statement should always
form the first page of the survey (or a direct link to the
information letter is included before the survey starts) to
ensure that information about the study is provided to
potential participants. Informed consent can be then
established by an “I agree” button, or addition of a
statement that indicates that completion of the
survey implies consent to participate in the research.
Online
Survey
www.
Online
Survey
www.
Information
Letter
Information
Letter

What to send with your application
All documents and other materials used in recruiting
potential research participants, including:
• Advertisements
• Letters of invitation
• Information sheets
• Consent forms?
Information
Letter
Information
Letter
ConsentConsentSocial media
posts
Including Platform
Details
Social media
posts
Including Platform
Details
Online
Survey
www.
Online
Survey
www.
Information
Letter
Information
Letter
Advertisements
Including Publication/Platform
Details
Advertisements
Including Publication/Platform
Details

Closing points
• Work smarter not harder: focus on sharing surveys and on channels that
will tap into existing audiences
• Sharing can take time, build this into your ethics approval, recruitment
timeline and expectations
• Where sharing could cause issues: Set boundaries and be very clear about
how your research can/can’t be shared in every transaction
• Get all your ducks in a row: .e.g. short link, social media link data
(Qualtrics) with an awareness of how people are likely to act, share and
interact with your survey and postings
• Observe, be mindful of space and interact with respect.
• What people identify as online, is not necessarily what they are IRL
• Protect yourself and your participants: privacy & security, digital shadow,
reputation twitter.com/sockington
Sockamillion
@sockington
I am Jason Scott's Cat.
Waltham, MA ·
sockington.org
Things go(ing) pear-shaped? Contact the Research Ethics Office:
research.ethics@ecu.edu.au as first priority.

Who are we?
Natacha Suttor, Senior Online Marketing
Coordinator
Marketing and Communications Services Centre
(Online Marketing Team), Edith Cowan University
Where you can find me:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/natachasuttor
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/natachasuttor
Blog: www.ellipticalpointofview.com
Kim Gifkins, Research Ethics Officer
Office of Research & Innovation (Research
Operations), Edith Cowan University
Where you can find me:
Email: researchethics@ecu.edu.au
Telephone: +61 8 6304 2170

Tips on sharing on social media
• Write for your audience and your (desired) participants
• Establish a hierarchy of information
1. Grab their attention with strong (and accurate) call to
action (e.g. why they might be interested, why they might
want to help)
2. Don’t waste their time, be upfront:
A. Who might be eligible
B. How long a commitment
3. Who are you (not personal details) and why you’re doing
this research
• Write to the information hierarchy (fields are platform specific),
in terms of what goes where e.g.
– What is in the headline/first sentence?
– What is in the body text?
– What is in the social sharing metadata (editable*)

Different platforms do things differently
Twitter
• Tweet = 140 characters but tweet with link = 117 characters
• You don’t have 117 characters to play with if you want people to
RT your tweet.
You need to leave space for people to RT with comment (So
117 - ~20 characters = ~97 characters)
• Always use a link abbreviator (e.g. owl.ly, bit.ly, tinyurl)
• Different best practices for different outcomes:
– If you want people to RT, use “Please ReTweet” or “Please
RT” in your tweet
– If you want people to click on your link, put the link 25% of
the way through your tweet:, use “please” “RT” “Via” or
”Check” in your tweet and tweet late in the day/on
weekends
• Don’t place the link at the end, it will be the first thing truncated
(and therefore broken link) if people RT with too many
characters
Want to know more?
Start here: ellipticalpointofview.com/category/channels/twitter-channels And here: danzarrella.com/infographic-social-calls-to-action-work.html

Facebook
• Status Update: 63,206 characters
• Truncates at ~400 characters
• Best practices for different outcomes:
– If you want people to “share”, “comment” or “like”,
use those words and/or include a photo
– If you want people to share, write a long post
(400-800 chars)
– If you want people like, write a short post (0-100
chars)
• When sharing links:
– Photos get more engagement*
Want to know more?
Start here: ellipticalpointofview.com/2013/09/17/tip-when-writing-an-status-update-on-facebook And here: danzarrella.com/infographic-social-calls-to-action-work.html

LinkedIn
If you post an update
– Activity Update: 600 characters
– Truncates at:
• ~294 characters in the news feed
• ~274 characters on your profile page
If you post into groups:
– People may get group notifications daily or
weekly
– In your inbox, notifications can truncate your
subject line and description
• Title (200 chars) = subject line = ~ 87
characters display in inbox
• Discussion (4000 chars) = Email Body =
~96 characters
Want to know more?
Start here: ellipticalpointofview.com/2013/09/16/tip-when-writing-an-activity-update-on-linkedin

Examples of ethics guidelines and resources
Ethical Decision-Making and Internet Research
aoir.org/reports/ethics2.pdf
Association of Internet Researchers wiki
ethics.aoir.org/
e-Ethics@Nottingham: Ethical Issues in Digitally
Based Research
www.nottingham.ac.uk/sociology/pdfs/ethics-
documents/e-ethics@nottingham-briefing-and-good-
practice.pdf
A review of research ethics in internet-based research
194.81.189.19/ojs/index.php/prhe/article/viewFile/100/
192
Ethical considerations for internet research
www.goodresearchpractice.stir.ac.uk/documents/Inter
net-basedresearchguidelines.pdf
Online survey tools: ethical and methodological
concerns of human research ethics committees
www.sis.pitt.edu/~peterb/papers/JER0402_05.pdf

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