Internet Research Ethics IRE (negative Impact on the research)

Internet research ethics is related to computer and information ethics and includes such ethical
issues as participant knowledge and consent, data privacy, security, confidentiality, and integrity
of data, intellectual property issues, and community, disciplinary, and professional standards or
norms.

IRE is defined as the analysis of ethical issues and application of research ethics principles as
they pertain to research conducted on and in the Internet. Internet-based research, broadly
defined, is research which utilizes the Internet to collect information through an online tool, such
as an online survey; studies about how people use the Internet, e.g., through collecting data
and/or examining activities in or on any online environments; and/or, uses of online datasets,
databases, or repositories.
These examples were broadened in 2012 by the United States Secretary’s Advisory Committee
to the Office for Human Research Protections, and included under the umbrella term Internet
Research:

 Research studying information that is already available on or via the Internet without
direct interaction with human subjects (harvesting, mining, profiling, scraping,
observation or recording of otherwise-existing data sets, chat room interactions, blogs,
social media postings, etc.)
 Research that uses the Internet as a vehicle for recruiting or interacting, directly or
indirectly, with subjects (Self-testing websites, survey tools, Amazon Mechanical Turk,
etc.)
 Research about the Internet itself and its effects (use patterns or effects of social media,
search engines, email, etc.; evolution of privacy issues; information contagion; etc.)
 Research about Internet users: what they do, and how the Internet affects individuals and
their behaviors Research that utilizes the Internet as an interventional tool, for example,
interventions that influence subjects’ behavior
 Others (emerging and cross-platform types of research and methods, including m-
research (mobile))
 Recruitment in or through Internet locales or tools, for example social media, push
technologies
A critical distinction in the definition of Internet research ethics is that between the Internet as a
research tool versus a research venue. The distinction between tool and venue plays out across
disciplinary and methodological orientations. As a tool, Internet research is enabled by search
engines, data aggregators, databases, catalogs, and repositories, while venues include such places
or locales as conversation applications (IM/chat rooms, for example), MUDs, MOOs,
MMORPGs, (forms of role-playing games, virtual worlds) newsgroups, home pages, blogs,
micro-blogging (i.e., Twitter), RSS feeds, crowdsourcing applications, or online course software.
Key Ethical Issues in Internet Research (-ve Impacts)
Privacy
Issues regarding data collection for Design and Analysis of Structures of a personal or firm basis
Exposure of personal or sensitive information, the divulgence of embarrassing or illegal conduct,
or the release of data otherwise protected under law.
Privacy of linked data
Social media
Data Source
Generally data is taken via social media; in which a text or tweet is sent to potential participants.
The potential participants is also identified through social media; which is not 100% reliable.
Other methods include direct email, dedicated web pages, YouTube videos and many more.

Disadvantages:
Slowness and Payment
Information Overload
A huge amount of information causes information overload. Infinite amount of titles, texts and
abstracts.
There are no standards, that is, no process to check information accurately. Most information in
the Internet does not go through a review process. Anyone can publish on the web, without
passing the content through an editor. Pages might be written by an expert on the topic, or even a
child, or a disgruntled contributor. Therefore, getting information from book or from various
other printed sources in the library can guarantee that it is of high standard and peer reviewed.
Additionally, it can be observed that with a large amount of information freely available on the
internet, theft of personal information and misuse of this information is in abundance.
In this regard from time to time people use someone's information and research materials and
pass it off as their own work. Also,
Spamming, which is the process of sending unwanted or junk e-mails in bulk, which provide no
purpose and consequently hinder the entire system. This in due course is regarded as an illegal
activity resulting to frustrate people. As regards this, a researcher could check his e-mail to
obtain some materials for his work; only to get disappointed when noticed that the e-mail was a
junk.
The issue of spamming extends to commercial advertising, frequently for dubious products, get-
rich-quick, or semi-legal services. In due course spamming costs less to the sender but more to
the receiver. In any case, spam can be prevented or stopped by installing spam filter software
such as Mailwasher, McAfee anti-spam software, as well as firewall.
Furthermore, another disadvantage of the Internet is virus threat. In this regard, Virus is a
program that interrupts the normal functioning of the computer systems. Computers that are
attached to internet are more likely to be attacked by virus. In due course, this attack could result
to hard disk crashing, thereby causing a big disaster on the computer. On the other hand, some
unprincipled individuals have been successful in creating viruses and links that once clicked can
automatically transmit ones personal e-mail addresses and other details to certain parties and
even the person's bank account details in some extreme cases.
Additionally, another disadvantage of the Internet for academic research is that, it is not arranged
according to system and no index format. Information on the Internet is not organised; for
example too many web pages for any single directory services and fees are often charged for
access to specialised information.
Hence, Robling indicates that focusing strictly on tight access controls, whether through strict
limitations on the number of users or through the imposition of 'per access' fees that could
effectively exclude the majority of users, for example students who cannot afford it, without
considering the purposes of education and research. [3]

The Internet is not a substitute for the library, but a search tool to be used in addition to
traditional sources in the library.

1. Everything Is Not On the Internet The Internet consists of a small percentage of what’s
published. Search engines such as Google, AltaVista, and Yahoo access are limited. ALA reports
that only 8% of all journals and even fewer books are on the Internet. The most reliable
scholarly information is available in books and journals. Preliminary steps to find the
appropriate search terms should start with print indexes and subject headings volumes.

2. The Internet Is Not Organized

There is not a system that catalogs and organizes all resources on the Internet. A search on the
Internet is similar to searching an unclassified catalog. When you use any of the search engines,
you’re searching only part of the Internet. Searches are not always relevant to your topic and can
cause a lot of wasted time, frustration and confusion

3. The Internet Doesn’t Have Quality Control

Quality control isn’t easy to achieve on the Internet. Open Source information on the Internet is
quite common and easy to get misinformed information. Anyone with access to the Internet can
publish a Website.

4. Sources on the Internet are Harder to Identify

Information on the WWW is hard to tell who’s telling you what and where is the location of the
information. When you use information in your paper from the Internet, it’s important to print it
out and cite your sources. Information taken from the Web can change overnight. Information
taken from the library or databases in the library gives the exact location. One must give full
documentation when using information from a site. See the Academic Integrity Statement
under Academic and Classroom Conduct for Tennessee State University’s response to plagiarism
and academic dishonesty.

To Cite the Internet:

 Author’s name (if known)

 Full title of document in quotation marks
 Title of complete work if applicable (in italics)
 Date of publication of last revision (if available).
 Full URL address (http) enclosed within angle brackets
 Date of visit in parenthesis

Follow the guidelines in the following texts kept in reference in Brown Daniels and Avon
Williams Libraries.

The Chicago manual of style. Ref. Z253 .U69 2003

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. BF76.7 .P83 2001

MLA handbook for writers of research papers. Ref. LB2369. C53 2003.

See Online Reference Resources for Research

http://www.tnstate.edu/interior.asp?mid=1028&ptid=1

5. Library Online Resources are Available 24/7

Online databases can be accessed 24 hours a day 7 days a week from the library’s webpage.
These databases are in the library’s collection and can be accessed on campus and remotely with
your University ID via the Internet. This is not to be confused with searching the Internet.

Complete List of Online Print and Print Journals

http://fj8cm8pf4g.search.serialssolutions.com

6. Tuition and Fees Pay for Library Use

Library resources are paid for with your tuition and fees, so take advantage of it. Libraries
provide free access to scholarly books, journals, newspapers, encyclopedias, and other print
reference sources. A lot of information on the Internet is FREE, except scholarly materials. A
paid subscription is required to access.

7. Trained Professionals Available For Assistance

Knowledgeable and friendly librarians are available to assist with locating information in person,
chat, e-mail or telephone. Request assistance at the beginning of your research and spare
valuable time spent on the Internet.

8. E-books are Available

E-books are full-text and searchable. Text can be searched automatically, and cross-referenced
using hyperlinks. Dictionaries, reference works, and some textbooks, benefit from search and
cross-reference capabilities. Content is available 24/7. TSU’s Webpage provide e-books
at: http://www.tnstate.edu/library/milcat/ebooks.htm

9. The Internet Has Fewer Archival Materials

The library has older materials than the Internet. Digitalization that goes back more than 10-15
years can be difficult to locate on the Internet. The Internet provides more timely information,
and is constantly updated.

10. Does Library-less Universities Work

A virtual library cannot replace the traditional library. To California libraries (Monterey and
California Polytechnic University) attempted this method, only to find out first hand that it can’t
work. They found out that everything is not on the Internet.

Disadvantages:
a) Information overload, uncertain/outdated legal information
b) Imprecise and inconsistent searchtools taking more tme than using fee-based
reosurces
c) Sieving and analyzing vast takes time

“Understanding the research tools that are available and employing them carefully, creatively
and efficiently can be the difference between success and failure at trial, between a satisfied and
a disgruntled client, or ultimately between a flourishing and a struggling practice.” -Joshua Poje
ABA TechReport 2014