IRB Review of Internet Research
Research conducted over the internet creates new challenges for those charged with maintaining protections for human subjects participating in such research. Internet-based research is no different than other human subjects research in terms of regulatory oversight and requirements. Human subjects research that is designed to recruit participants or collect data through the internet must be reviewed by the IRB.
Ethical Decision-making and Internet Research (PDF)IRB Review may be required for studies that include the following:
- questionnaires completed online via the Internet
- questionnaires downloaded from the Internet and returned by mail
- questionnaires incorporated into an e-mail and returned the same way
- qualitative interviews or discussions conducted over the Internet
- taking part in a measurement system which tracks web usage using specialist software installed on the user’s computer
- experiments conducted over the Internet
- use or housing of large public use databases
- recruiting volunteers over the Internet
- observation of individual behaviors via the Internet (e.g., “chat rooms”)
Privacy and Confidentiality on the Internet
Privacy and confidentiality raise a particular challenge in Internet Research. In some cases, the subjects will not know they are being observed, and in other cases they are being recruited and are willfully participating. The researcher must consider the risks to the subject, to the security of the collected data, and to the validity of data gathered from unseen subjects.
Interactions and activities occurring in public chat rooms or public message boards are generally considered public behaviors while some chat rooms and message boards have restricted access. Interactions in restricted chat rooms and message boards are considered private behaviors [USC HSPP 16.8].
When using an online survey vendor to administer an anonymous survey, ask the vendor to withhold the IP address of the participants.
Recruitment and Compensation on the Internet
The text and context of the recruitment message for any human subjects research must be reviewed and approved by the IRB (this includes postings to a blog or message board, mass emailings, and webpages created for recruitment of participants).
Tips for Compensating Anonymous Subjects
- Send electronic gift cards or certificates via email
- Do not link compensation to contact information