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. 2023 Oct 16;39(1):e62. doi: 10.1017/S0266462323000399

Table 2.

Principles for Social Media Research (adapted from (2022) and others in this review)

Justification of research Purpose of the use of the social media data Are there other ways to address the research question and aims and is social media research the best option?
Description of “public benefit” and “public interest” Why is it justifiable to use private communication as data source for this research? (Balance between benefits and risks)
Can the data be utilized for the common good whilst respecting individual rights and liberties?
Data Choice of the social media data and reasons for choice Are the chosen data sources representing the target population in the best way?
Is the demand for justice (participant selection, access to research, sharing in the benefits) fulfilled?
Type of social media content to be applied What kind of data is used (text content, images, videos, blogs, vlogs, conversations, etc.)?
How are the characteristics of the respective data sources accommodated for?
Which level of consent is expected or required?
Time period covered by the dataset Is the time period relevant to research (incl. Timing of postings, duration, periodicity/ frequency, evolving content) and necessary
Social media user demographics and specific population of interest Which information can be gathered to ensure that the inclusion criteria are met?
How big is the risk of too broad or too narrow inclusion?
Generalizability, replicability How is generalizability and replicability for the defined purpose addressed?
Anonymization Which methods are used for anonymization?
Which risks are remaining for de-anonymization and how can they be mitigated?
Adopted data management approach including data curation How is the management and storage of data and consent defined and organized?
Which methods for data retrieval are defined and applied (e.g., synonyms, provision for spelling variants/mistakes, lay language, etc.)?
Tools, methods Appropriateness of Methods Are there better methods around/is this the best method?
Is it the right method to meet the goals of the research?
Mitigation against any “skewing”/bias Which methods are used to minimize the risk for skewing/bias through data selection or analysis?
Which methods will be used to validate results?
Methods of analysis What are quantitative/qualitative research techniques? (dynamic approaches; algorithms applied across or specifically to the data sources)
Legal/ethical Terms of use from the data provider Does the research protocol meet the terms of use of the data source/provider?
Principle of secondary use of data Have interactions with the researched community been excluded by the protocol?
Is secondary data use legally acceptable?
Data protection legislation and ethical standards Does the research method align with applicable data protection legislation (platform, geography, other)?
Which ethical standards and considerations will be applied (e.g., Ethical Review process)?