[Air-l] SW to store webpages

[GTa3411203 at aol.com]

I have been following this discussion and have not yet seen anyone raise a 
question relating to the legality of using this approach to capture web pages in 
support of academic research, in particular those web pages that are clearly 
identified as being copyrighted. Are you contacting the owner of the site to 
ask permission to create a copy of their documents for current and future use? 
If not, how are you justifying using this approach to duplicating the data? 
Fair use laws? How are you using the data after it has been captured? Are you 
extracting data to support point in time studies? Longitudinal studies? I have 
been on both sides of the house and have concerns both as the producer of 
electronic documents as well as user.

I am also currently conducting an Internet-based study of organization 
practices that are being reported on web sites. My approach to doing research is 
quite the opposite. I am collecting data real-time by accessing individual web 
sites (200-plus) and assessing the available data on a given date in support of 
a point in time study. I am also using this as an opportunity to advance 
research practices in a manner that call attention to the dynamic nature of 
Internet web sites and some of the inherrent issues in taking this approach to 
collecting data in comparison to some of the more traditional methods that might be 
used when working with paper documents. I am interested in getting feedback on 
using this approach to doing research.


Gail Taylor
Human Resource Education Ph.D. Student
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign