[Air-L] Dissertation

[Åsa Rosenberg]

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 at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] För brook bolander
Skickat: den 9 augusti 2007 16:32
Till: air-l at 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
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