Hi again! I don't see consent as being a legal issue at all if everything you are using is already published publicly (and internationally). I know of no legal right to be informed of your publicly published works being used in research. In this case it all goes under "fair use". See http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107 And also see the first (1.) point made here http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/~asb/ethics/ Only way I can think of it possibly being so in that case is if you are using some type of name and this name is also being used as a trademark, i.e. if they have it registered/if it is unique enough AND you are using it in a way that might infringe with copyright laws. This would though I assume in most countries mean that you are actually making money particularly of the trademark in question, for example by advertizing your publication with it (for example by using the trademark in the title of your book). Even if you do not anonymize, I don't see how doing research (or getting consent to do research) on publicly posted material could be a legal issue otherwise. So yes, Id say its an ethical issue. And offering the bloggers to post a notice about your research would be a kind gesture. At the same time, I don't see how you could stop them from doing so if they wanted to, its their blogs, right? :) I think you'll be best recieved in such a case though if the post includes information to contact you with questions or comments. Also make it clear that you are doing linguistic research and explain what this means, and that you are not out to "pick their brains" as one of my informants in the ethics study phrased it. Having a mission statement that summarizes your research purpose, methods and ethical standpoints that you can pass in any direction will probably be a good thing here. Also, it would be very interesting to hear any comments you get on it. If possible, try to get some of the findings you get in this respect in your final publication, cause we all still have a lot to learn here! Good luck! Sounds like you'll be having a lot of fun in the upcoming years! -Åsa -----Ursprungligt meddelande----- Från: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] För brook bolander Skickat: den 9 augusti 2007 16:32 Till: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Ämne: Re: [Air-L] Dissertation Dear Åsa Rosenberg, Thanks a lot for your informative and interesting e-mail. You make a good point about the use of quotations, and I will have to re-think that aspect, although since my analysis will be linguistic, it will be easier to point to uses of linguistic and paralinguistic features, without quoting the clauses in which they are found, than in other forms of research. Do I understand you correctly that it is more a matter of ethics, than legal issues with regards to the blogger, who has concerns consenting for her readers. The way I see it, I can reply to the blogger that she is welcome to inform her readers in a post that the blog is being observed for research, but that there are no legal problems in her informing me that I may study her blog, as long as I anonymize the readers etc.? Best wishes Brook _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/