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Social science research, big data and ethics

Expiry Date
: 01/06/2027
CPD Units
: 3.00 Points
Rating
: 2.7/4

This article aims to highlight the pitfalls of big data Social Science Research (SSR) and makes suggestions that can be observed in developing future guidelines about big data SSR.

Keywords: Research Ethics, Research Integrity; Big Data, Social Science, Computational Social Science, Open Science

Reading material:

Educational Objectives

Educational Aim:

The aim of this article is to highlight the traps that researchers may fall into when using big data for their research.

Educational Outcomes:
Upon completion of this module practitioners should have a clear understanding of:

  1. Dissemination of big data SSR results may involve risks that are hard to identify/manage even for researchers strongly determined to uphold research ethics and integrity norms
  2. Unpredictable results obtained from big data SSR could unfairly justify discrimination, symbolic violence5 and other harmful practices that are difficult to anticipate when research is being designed, conducted or published
  3. When big data sets are generated using social networking sites, it might be impossible to isolate data sourced from fake and bot accounts, some of which might have been created with specific financial and political agendas.


Instructions for this Module

  • Read the supplied reading material and complete the quiz that follows;
  • You have three attempts to pass the quiz;
  • The pass grade is 70%;
  • You need to pass the quiz to claim your CPD certificate;
  • Please click on the CPD certificate link below to claim your CPD certificate and to update your CPD Manager.

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