Scoping Review: Ethical Considerations in Online Ethnographic Research With Military Populations

Researchers using online ethnographic methods to study military communities must employ higher standards of ethical practice. Military populations may face significant risk if reidentified in research. These requirements are especially salient for online data collection. This review questions how an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of empirical research on human research ethics 2021-10, Vol.16 (4), p.374-388
Main Authors: Schuman, Donna L., Highfill, Christine, Johnson, Amy, Henderson, Stephanie, Ognyanova, Pavleta
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioethics
Ethics
Ethnography
Research Ethics in a Digital/Virtual World
Systematic review
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Summary:Researchers using online ethnographic methods to study military communities must employ higher standards of ethical practice. Military populations may face significant risk if reidentified in research. These requirements are especially salient for online data collection. This review questions how and to what extent military online ethnographers are addressing ethics considerations. We charted evidence from seven military studies using an online ethnographic method. Findings reveal that most online military ethnographers did not utilize sufficient ethical safeguards in their studies. Additionally, they did not document or transparently disclose the ethical steps they may have taken. This study argues implementing ethical safeguards is especially important for protecting vulnerable military populations. We present a strategy for evaluating ethics practices in online ethnographic research and provide best practices for military online ethnographers.
ISSN:1556-2646
1556-2654
DOI:10.1177/15562646211038161