The Oxford e-Social Science (OeSS) Project: Ethical, Legal and Institutional Responses to Emerging e-Research Infrastructure Policies and Practices
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Oxford Internet Institute
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
Publications
Ackland R
(2010)
World Wide Research - Reshaping the Sciences and Humanities
Anandarajan, Murugan
(2010)
E-Research Collaboration: Theory, Techniques and Challenges
Annamaria Carusi (Author)
(2010)
Are digital picturings representations?
Axelsson A
(2009)
Making it Open and Keeping it Safe e-Enabled Data-Sharing in Sweden
in Acta Sociologica
Blank G
(2011)
Age and Trust in the Internet: The Centrality of Experience and Attitudes Toward Technology in Britain
in Social Science Computer Review
Carusi A
(2011)
Computational Biology and the Limits of Shared Vision
in Perspectives on Science
Carusi A
(2009)
Implicit Trust in the Space of Reasons and Implications for Technology Design: A Response to Justine Pila
in Social Epistemology
Carusi A
(2009)
From data archive to ethical labyrinth
in Qualitative Research
Carusi A
(2008)
Scientific visualisations and aesthetic grounds for trust
in Ethics and Information Technology
Collins E
(2011)
Discipline matters Technology use in the humanities
in Arts and Humanities in Higher Education
| Description | We had three sets of findings. First, we identified a transformation from an early uncertainty over the very nature of digital research to growing enthusiasm and investment to move digital research into the forefront of methodological innovation. This is illustrated by the popularization of 'big data' enabled by advances in technologies at the heart of digital research. Secondly, our research documented how technical innovation is transforming the ways in which research is being practiced. New skills, such as in data analytics, new forms of collaboration, such as in citizen science, and new sources of data, such as derived from sensor and other 'networks of things', are changing how research is conducted. Thirdly, we highlighted the degree that enthusiasm behind digital research is not being matched by sufficient skepticism and regard for risks, such as with respect to the social, ethical, and legal-institutional issues examined in our research (e.g., legal issues over privacy in cloud computing platforms). There is a need to critically assess new approaches to research, such as any blind faith in techniques, such as visualization, or big data that raise issues over the reliability and validity of inferences, as well as privacy, confidentiality, or informed consent. |
| Exploitation Route | Most forms of digital research, such as big data, visualization, Webmetrics, and crowd sourcing, are being used in business, industry and governments and the public sector. For example, news agencies have embraced data journalism, which employs many of the same tools used in digital research within academic research. Our research should therefore be of value well beyond academia. Findings of our research are being used in courses that have adopted World Wide Research (MIT Press 2010), and inform new approaches to digital research, such as citizen science, and big data, by alerting researchers to the social, legal, ethical and quality issues that must be addressed early in the research process. |
| URL | http://microsites.oii.ox.ac.uk/oess/ |
| Description | Ethical Principles |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | I served as an advisor to the writing of the ESRC's Research Ethics Framework. The blog I wrote that summarizes the principles we agreed has been the most frequently cited of all the blogs I have written. |
| URL | https://billdutton.me/2010/02/05/principles-to-guide-research-ethics-in-the-social-sciences/ |
| Description | Rise of Social Research on Big Data and the Study of Algorithms |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Our work on digital social science paved the way for recognizing the role that computational analytics can play in research, policy and practice. Our project pre-dated the very concepts of big data and algorithmic society, but influenced their emergence. Many of the major actors shaping the work of The Algorithm Institute, for example, were involved in our research and the larger e-social science and e-science research. |
| Description | Framework for responsible research and innovation |
| Amount | £397,173 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/J000019/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2011 |
| End | 03/2014 |
| Description | Archiving of qualitative data |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An OeSS public lecture and focus group with John Southall, ESRC Data Archive, Oxford e-Research Centre, 5 September 2007 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Information and web science doctoral workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Workshop at Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford and Aberystwyth University Department of Information Studies, 18 March 2009. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | Introduction : users, usability and user-engagement based on e-research, and web 2.0 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Marina Jirotka with Melissa Terras and Claire Warwick from UCL presented at this workshop as part of an eScience and Web 2.0 series, Oxford, January 2010. http://research3.org/events/Schedule.pdf |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| Description | Overview of ethics in internet/e-research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation by Annamaria Carusi at Critical Issues and Perspectives in Internet Research Methods and Ethics Preconference Workshop Association of Internet Researchers Conference, October 2009 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |