Heads up: some academic research taking place

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

Some researchers from a UK university are going to be collecting posts from some boards on Mumsnet over the next few weeks. They will be looking only at posts published from this point onwards. Selected posts will be anonymised (ie usernames will not be stored anywhere), and all processes will be GDPR-compliant.

EDITED BY MNHQ: to be clear, NO private or back-end data is being shared with the researchers and they will have NO access to any extra information about users. They will only be analysing published posts, ie things that are already in the public domain.

The researchers will analyse the text of the anonymised posts as part of their study. The full text of these anonymised posts will not be reproduced in the study - no pieces of text that make you or your situation identifiable will be published.

Once the study is complete, the database containing the anonymised posts will be destroyed.

Obviously we'd love to tell you what the study is about - but we can't because it will skew the results. However once the research has been completed we'll share it with you and you can read all about it. The academics running the study are people we've worked with before, and the topic is one we think lots of MN users will agree is interesting and useful.



IMPORTANT BIT: if you DO NOT want your posts to be considered for inclusion in the research, please shout here on this thread or email us on [email protected]

And of course let us know if you have any questions and we'll see if we can answer them.

Thanks

MNHQ

[yawning801]

Prepare for an influx of "shouting" people then... whatever happened to consulting people before deciding to use their words in a secretive study?

[DoryNow]

Whaaaat?

[NicoAndTheNiners]

Well I look forward to reading about when it can be shared. Sounds good.

[MaverickSnoopy]

No thanks, please don't include any of my comments. I come here for privacy and anonymity and wouldn't want anything I said published in any capacity (even if it wasn't identifiable). I appreciate that certain newspapers don't respect this but that's why I choose not to post anything they would be interested in.

Out of interest I thought all funding bodies insisted on signed consent from all people contributing to research studies, or has this changed? Ex-University research admin project person here (not being too specific obviously).

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

Sorry, didn't mean to cause alarm. We will of course pass on to the researchers that posts under your respective user names can't be included.

Is there anything we can say to put your minds at rest? We'll try to answer any questions you have. The research topic is squarely in the 'parenting' field. The researchers' aim is to use text analysis software to find out how parents on Mumsnet talk about a particular parenting topic, using other topics on Mumsnet as a control group. So (this is an example, not what the research is actually about) it will be something along the lines of 'Parents discussing child carseat choices tend to use this sort of language and these particular words figure prominently, whereas when they're discussing family meal choices the language they use has these differences.'

Does that sound less sinister?

[SneakyGremlins]

Can I ask - will this be from Chat? Or specifically the parenting boards?

[RowanMumsnet]

Got it MaverickSnoopy thank you and I'll see if I can get a direct answer to your point from the researchers

[yawning801]

But why can't you ask us first?? Very few people look in Site Stuff - if you want to let us know, pop it in Chat!

[RowanMumsnet]

@Sneaky we can't confirm which boards will be analysed I'm afraid. Happy to add you to the list of usernames to be excluded, if that helps?

[SneakyGremlins]

Yes Please Rowan

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

No thanks - I'd also like to not be included. Also interested in how they got this past the ethics committee - as far as I know people generally opt in to take part in research, as opposed to assuming consent if someone doesn't specifically opt out.

[RowanMumsnet]

@yawning801

But why can't you ask us first?? Very few people look in Site Stuff - if you want to let us know, pop it in Chat!

This is stickied in Active and will remain there over the duration of the study - but happy to sticky it in Chat too.

This thread is our way of informing you and giving you the option to be excluded - posting threads on the boards (and stickying them as visibly as possible) is really the best way we have of alerting MNers about things like this.

[RowanMumsnet]

Got it ItsAll, thank you.

We'll get back to you with a response on the opt in/opt out point as soon as we can.

[RowanMumsnet]

And thank you Nico

[Stephisaur]

Thanks for putting this in chat :)

Sounds interesting. I’m sure none of my posts would be included but consider this my consent if they are :)

[MIdgebabe]

If someone's words were quoted in a publication, would they be able to see the publication and comment/remove consent at that stage? Does mn hq get a veto on any Publication!

[RowanMumsnet]

I'm off in a moment so just wanted to say do please add a post here or email us on [email protected] if you don't want to be included and we'll make sure your user names are on the list for the researchers.

Any other questions posted tonight we'll do our best to respond to promptly tomorrow.

Thanks
MNHQ

[RowanMumsnet]

@Stephisaur

Thanks for putting this in chat :)

Sounds interesting. I’m sure none of my posts would be included but consider this my consent if they are :)

Thank you!

[Hatstand]

Please don't include any of my comments either.

[RowanMumsnet]

@MIdgebabe

If someone's words were quoted in a publication, would they be able to see the publication and comment/remove consent at that stage? Does mn hq get a veto on any Publication!

We (as in MNHQ) haven't sought a veto - we've worked with these researchers before (not on pieces of research, but we know their work and have collaborated on activities in their area of interest).

We will check out for you your question about whether users whose words are used will be consulted before publication.

[RowanMumsnet]

Got it @Hatstand, thank you

[LuluJakey1]

I don't want any of my posts to be included thank you.

[EastMidsGPs]

I don't want any of my posts to be included.
Thanks

[MargaretCavendish]

Also interested in how they got this past the ethics committee - as far as I know people generally opt in to take part in research, as opposed to assuming consent if someone doesn't specifically opt out.

They got it past ethics because everything posted on MN is entirely open to public view anyway. It's like analysing the text of letters to the editors in a newspaper - you don't have to ask the letter writers (or even the newspaper) because they've already published their words. Or if I did a study counting whether more redheads use Liverpool Street station than Waterloo - I can just count them, I don't have to ask because I'm just watching them do something already entirely public. I know a lot of people like to think of MN as somehow private but it really, really isn't.

[PhilomenaButterfly]

Ooookaaaaaay.