Is Mixed Methods Social Network Analysis Ethical?

Korir, Maina; Mittelmeier, Jenna and Rienties, Bart C. (2019). Is Mixed Methods Social Network Analysis Ethical? In: Froehlich, Dominik E.; Rehm, Martin and Rienties, Bart C. eds. Mixed Methods Approaches to Social Network Analysis. Routledge.

URL: https://www.routledge.com/Mixed-Methods-Social-Net...

Abstract

This book chapter aims to explore the affordances and limitations of Mixed Methods Social Network Analysis (MMSNA) from an ethics perspective. In line with Ifenthaler and Schumacher (2016) we define ethics as “a system of fundamental principles and universal values of right conduct”. There may be substantial ethical considerations when conducting MMSNA research in comparison to more ’standard’ social science approaches: lack of anonymization; potential to identify non-respondents; and identification of “hidden” sub-groups. We will use one practical example to highlight potential ethical issues when conducting MMSNA research. We hope that by raising awareness of the potential ethical issues, researchers, practitioners, and the actual participants will become more mindful of the affordances and limitations of MMSNA research approaches.

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