Shaping Ethical Internet Research at Theorizing the Web

The 2011 Theorizing the Web Conference at the University of Maryland brought together researchers from a multitude of disciplines, such as sociology, anthropology, communication studies, information science, computer science, and art, to explore the how the online world is influenced, influences and augments the social world online and off. The...

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IRE Available for Consultation!

The Internet Research Ethics Digital Library, Resource Center and Commons maintains a core group of experts and scholars working in the area of online research. IRBs or researchers seeking expert guildance on Internet-related research protocols can submit questions to our IRE Study Group....

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Internet Research Ethics Workshop Recap

Wednesday, 20 October 2010, at the 11th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers pre-conference session, "Ethics and Internet Research Commons: Building a Sustainable Future," twenty-five scholars from the US, Sweden, England, Canada, Denmark, and Finland met to engage in an ongoing AoIR discussion around internet research ethics. Ethical practice...

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Elizabeth Buchanan on Internet Research Ethics at BITrum Agora

Check out Elizabeth Buchanan on the BITrum Agora blog (a discussion arena of the Science of Information Institute), in an interview conducted by IRE project assistant Anthony Hoffmann. In the casual interview, Elizabeth briefly discusses her past experiences with Internet research ethics, as well as what makes IRE distinct from research...

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IRE Project Members to Present at SACHRP

IRE Commons Director Elizabeth Buchanan and Team Member Michael Zimmer will present to the Secretary's Advisory Committee to the Office of Human Research Protections (SACHRP) on July 21, 2010. Elizabeth and Michael will join Montana Miller, Bowling Green University and John Palfrey, Harvard University, to discuss Internet research ethics and...

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Internet Research Ethics Digital Library, Resource Center and Commons

Welcome to IRE!

Welcome to the home of the Internet Research Ethics Digital Library, Resource Center and Commons! This unique resource provides information related to ethical issues arising from the conduct of research in online environments. The IRE website will also provide expert advice to help researchers negotiate the landscape of IRBs and ethics boards dealing with these complex issues. The IRE Digital Library provides access to a large collection of scholarly articles dealing with these issues – a collection that will continue to expand as this cross-disciplinary field evolves. This resource is also home to a social commons which will assist faculty and students across a wide variety of disciplines to conduct ethical research online.

What is IRE?

Internet Research Ethics (IRE) is an emerging cross-disciplinary field which studies how research is conducted in online environments and seeks to resolve the subsequent ethical dilemmas in normative and practical terms. While similar to its physical counterpart, conducting scholarly research online is different in terms of ethics and values.

IRB Consultation

IRBs or researchers seeking expert guildance on Internet-related research protocols can submit questions to our IRE Study Group.

Pressing Need

Research conducted on and through the Internet has expanded exponentially in the last ten years; researchers across disciplines make frequent use of such tools as online survey generators, as well as engage in forms of participant observations of virtual worlds.

IRE Twitter

Keep up to date with IRE and relevant news and events with the Internet Research Ethics Twitter account: InResEth!