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

How are we supposed to opt in/out without any basic facts?!

As has been stated several times, knowledge of the study would influence who opts in or out and so skew the results. Thus making the results invalid.
It isn't really that hard to understand.

The (more than basic actually) facts have been outlined several times on this thread.

This thread alone would make an interesting case study.

ShirleyPhallus
Hilarious amount of frothing on this thread for something that’s available in the public domain anyway

Again the only frothing is by those frothing at posters opting out

Why do so many mumnsetters believe this forum is private?

The thread is getting a bit long but has anyone actually said that apart from those complaining about those opting out?

I’m a bit unhappy that the op from MNHQ says researchers from A University. Singular. Yet it’s now been stated as two universities.

Please dont include my posts . thanks

Hi all, i am new to mums net. Could some one please tell me what DD and DS means ? Obviously i wouldn't put my childs name, but i am really curious what this means. Darling Daughter/Darling Son ? . tia

Here you go Leonnie
www.mumsnet.com/info/acronyms

Thanks

Opting out thanks.

Not for me thanks.

Do NOT include my posts

This isn’t Gdpr compliant as you are passing on personal data without telling us in the first instance our data will be used that way
Although posts will be anonymous- anonymous data can still be personal data.
I would be very wary you’ve had the right legal advice on this.
If you want to use posts for research you should specifically tell people this when they sign up

Ps do NOT include my posts

Oh and the research is clearly on feeding choices

I reckon it's about swearing. Do we swear more when talking about baby names of when.we talk about Trump. Obvious, innit?

Oh, and I give consent. I swear loads

Although posts will be anonymous- anonymous data can still be personal data.
I would be very wary you’ve had the right legal advice on this.
If you want to use posts for research you should specifically tell people this when they sign up

Well, that was amusing to start the day.

Do you think your MN posts are secret or protected by an invisibility cloak to anyone who wants to analyse them?

Anyone who s worried about this and anonymity have been living in lala land.

This thread has started my day with a chuckle!!

Looking forward to seeing the research, really interesting.

Lewjl - the researchers clearly need further info from mumsnet for their research - otherwise they wouldn’t need to tell Mn they are doing it and could have just accessed the threads online to do their research

I agree Redteapot I've pointed that out twice on the thread already and tagged Rowan on the thread to ask her but no response. I doubt we'll get one.

@Redteapot67

Lewjl - the researchers clearly need further info from mumsnet for their research - otherwise they wouldn’t need to tell Mn they are doing it and could have just accessed the threads online to do their research

Sorry sassitude I must have missed the notification.

We are not passing anything at all to the researchers - no 'further info' whatsoever other than the list of usernames who have opted out.

They didn't need to tell us they were doing it - they did so out of courtesy.

Rowan, this was my original post.

@RowanMumsnet could you confirm if MNHQ will be passing the data to the researchers to analyse via software or similar process - not simply reading the forum? You mention a database, it sounds more likely that it is the data processing aspect that requires permission.

@SassitudeandSparkle

Rowan, this was my original post.

@RowanMumsnet could you confirm if MNHQ will be passing the data to the researchers to analyse via software or similar process - not simply reading the forum? You mention a database, it sounds more likely that it is the data processing aspect that requires permission.

Oh right sorry - no, we're not using any software or any process at all to send the posts on to them - the researchers are just reading the forum.

What method are they using to screen out posters who declined to take part?