FYI, I'm passing this along for a colleague-- so please email her for more information. Mia CALL FOR CHAPTERS Virtual Research Ethics: Issues and Controversies A book edited by Elizabeth A. Buchanan, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA All types of formal research are now being conducted via the Internet. From strict quantitative data collection to virtual ethnography to survey research, researchers want to tap into the vast riches of online communities, those that oftentimes exist only in a virtual reality. However, these forms of research often seem in conflict with-or a challenge to-long-standing principles of research ethics. Chapters in this book will focus on the use of the Internet/WWW itself as a medium for conducting research. Online research or virtual research is quickly emerging as a unique research methodology, complete with its own methodological specificity, its own guidelines on how to conduct research online, as well as codes of researcher conduct. Nowhere is the challenge surrounding online research greater than in the offices of institutional review boards, which find themselves struggling with new protocol language, new means of data selection and collection, and new and increasingly difficult challenges to the ethical treatment and protection of human subjects. The goals of this book include: 1.. To introduce readers to online research protocols 2.. To introduce readers to online research ethics issues 3.. To provide guidelines for the conduct of online research 4.. To explore ethical considerations and problems in the conduct of virtual research Representative topics include but are not limited to the following: a.. Tradtional research ethics and IRB protocols b.. Philosophical dilemmas of online research ethics c.. Conducting online research d.. Ethical codes of conduct for online research · IRB Guidelines for human subject protection · Case studies of online research in action · Case studies in online research ethics violations a.. "Success stories" in IRB handlings of online research ethics b.. Legal issues in online research SUBMISSION PROCEDURE Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before June 1, a 2-5 page manuscript proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by June 30 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter organizational guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by October 15, 2002. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a blind review basis. I am pleased to announce that the book will be published by Idea Group Inc., publisher of the Idea Group Publishing, Information Science Publishing and IRM Press imprints. Inquiries and Submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word or RTF format) to: Elizabeth Buchanan, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI 53211 Tel: 414.229.4707 Fax: 414.229.4848 Email: eliz1679@uwm.edu --