Research ethics in the digital humanities refers to the set of ethical principles and guidelines that scholars must follow when conducting research using digital tools and methods, while also being mindful of potential biases and harms arising from the use of algorithms and data analysis techniques. When dealing with sensitive data like personal information, cultural heritage, and online communities, scholars need to ensure respect for privacy, informed consent, and the proper attribution of sources within the digital realm. In essence, it is about conducting digital humanities research responsibly and with consideration for the human subjects involved.
Essential components of Research ethics:
Informed consent: Obtaining clear and voluntary consent from individuals whose data is being collected and analyzed, especially when dealing with personal information online.
Privacy protection: Taking necessary measures to safeguard the privacy of individuals by anonymizing data, using secure storage practices, and limiting access to sensitive information.
Data ownership and attribution: Accurately identifying and acknowledging the source of digital data, including copyright holders and respecting intellectual property rights.
Cultural sensitivity: Considering the cultural context of digital artifacts and avoiding harmful interpretations or generalizations when analyzing data from diverse communities.
Transparency in methodology: Clearly documenting research methods, data collection procedures, and analysis techniques to ensure replicability and ethical conduct.
Ethical considerations of digital platforms: Understanding the specific ethical implications of conducting research on social media, online forums, and other digital platforms.
Dobrick, F.M., Jana Fischer, and Lutz M. Hagen (2018). Research Ethics in the Digital Age: Ethics for the Social Sciences and Humanities in Times of Mediatization and Digitization 2018," Springer VS Wiesbaden.
This book aims to discuss the consequences of digitization and mediatization concerning the subjects, objects, and addressees of research in the social sciences and humanities within a transdisciplinary perspective.
Gonzalez, Eunice M., & Vitti Rodrigues, M. (2022). Digital Humanities: Ethical Implications and Interdisciplinary Challenges. Humanities Bulletin, 5(1), 111–125. Retrieved from https://journals.lapub.co.uk/index.php/HB/article/view/2357
This paper addresses questions about the genuine interdisciplinary nature of research on Digital Humanities, and discusses ethical issues associated with Big Data analytics, from a complex systems perspective. Emphasis is given to implications (positive and negative) of the use of information and communication technology in studies of the dynamics of human autonomy. To conclude, we discuss possible upcoming challenges of the extensive use of Big Data technology for the development of Digital Humanities in the domain of human autonomy.
Lukito, J. (April 18 2024). Platform Research Ethics for Academic Research. Report, Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas, Austin,. https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Platform-Research-Ethics-for-Academic-Research.pdf
Over the past two decades, academic research on digital platforms — such as social media, websites, blog posts, and digitized content — has proliferated. But how do we know if these studies are conducted ethically? And what does it mean to conduct “ethical research” in the context of studying digital platforms? /This report lays out the state of current platform studies ethics, the challenges of building ethical frameworks for this type of research, and potential solutions as proposed by researchers studying digital platforms and research ethics. Interviews with academic researchers emphasize the need for building consensus, ideally through coalitions, and for supporting research infrastructure that prioritizes clear and transparent ethical practices.
Östman, S., & Turtiainen, R. (2016). From Research Ethics to Researching Ethics in an Online Specific Context. Media and Communication, 4(4), 66-74.
Along with the rise of a research field called digital humanities, online specific research ethics plays an especially significant role. Research on the same (Internet related) topic is usually multidisciplinary, and understanding research ethics even inside the same research community may vary essentially. It is important to recognise and pay attention to online specific contexts as well as the researcher’s own disciplinary background. In this empirical research paper, we will first sum up our previous work. Currently, we are working on a model which will help in positioning multidisciplinary researchers as ethical actors based on their research topics and backgrounds. In this article, we will present this model with a demonstration of the empirical data collected as part of a Finnish research project called Citizen Mindscapes, which concerns the cultures and history of Finnish discussion forums. We argue that in Finland, and probably also worldwide, online research ethics is in a phase where the focus should be moving from defining the ethical guidelines to studying research ethics as such. We will also discuss how the model will be further developed in an in-depth empirical process.
Proferes, Nicholas (2020). "What Ethics Can Offer the Digital Humanities and What the Digital Humanities Can offer Ethics," Chapter 25 in Routledge International Handbook of Research Methods in Digital Humanities, edited by Kristen Schuster and Stuart Dunn.
This chapter outlines key contemporary ethical questions that digital humanities scholars face today. These include dilemmas about the ethics of data storage and curation of cultural materials, consent of users in the context of big data research, data use and re-use, open-access and meeting moral obligations to share research outputs with non-academic communities, researcher reflexivity in scholarship, the ethical complexities of research funding while maintaining humanist ideals.
Reid, Alexander “Graduate Education and the Ethics of the Digital Humanities,” in Debates in the Digital Humanities Part V chapter 20.
(...) Fundamentally the challenge lies in recognizing our humanities disciplines as they have been shaped by 20th century technologies and realizing that they must be shaped anew. In doing so, we need to examine the ways in which our ethics have developed in the context of past technological networks so that we may engage directly in establishing new ethical practices that meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that digital media present us. Graduate education is one of many sites where this work must be done as we meet our commitment to prepare those entering our field to work in a digital future that is admittedly difficult to foresee. In my view this is the central task of the digital humanities broadly conceived.
Suomela, T., Chee, F., Berendt, B., & Rockwell, G. (2019). Applying an Ethics of Care to Internet Research: Gamergate and Digital Humanities. Digital Studies/le Champ Numérique, 9(1), 4. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/dscn.3022019 9(1) 2017
This article examines key ethical issues that are continuing to emerge from the task of archiving data scraped from online sources such as social media sites, blogs, and forums, particularly pertaining to online harassment and hostile groups. Given the proliferation of digital social data, an understanding of ethics and data stewardship that evolves alongside the shifting landscape of digital societies is indeed essential.
Yadlin-Segal, Aya, Ruth Tsuria, and Wendi Belar (2020). “The Ethics of Studying Digital Contexts: Reflections from Three Empirical Case Studies,” Human Behavior & Emerging Technologies, 2(2)
The purpose of this article is to highlight important research-related ethical issues and provide researchers with guiding questions for producing ethical research of digital contexts. We also suggest that research ethics can be understood as a bridge between the seemingly distinct subfields across digital media studies. The article discusses three empirical case studies that reflect three main subfields and three research methodologies—ethnography and cultural media studies, critical discourse analysis and digital humanities, and user experience (UX) methods and mobile media studies. These cases critically engage with three main ethical issues related to digital media research: privacy, ownership, and compensation.