Table 2.

Summary of coding framework.

Concept headings	Concepts derived for coding	Definitions
Researchers	Perceived benefit of research	Overall outcome or intention of the research to do “good.”
	Type of researcher	The affiliation of the researcher (such as university or commercial company). This is associated with the perceived benefit of the research.
	Validity of the research methods	High or low validity of the methodology used, including risk of bias.
	Risks to researchers	Any risks that the researcher is exposed to.
Social media users	Risks to social media users	Any risks that the social media users are exposed to either individually or as a group.
	Vulnerable groups	Groups could be determined as vulnerable by either their individual characteristics or the topic discussed.
	Original purpose of posts	The intent of the poster at the time the message was placed.
	Privacy and self-regulation	The public versus private nature of social media and the need for anonymity or confidentiality. Connected to this issue is self-regulation whereby individuals control content.
Consent	Informed consent	Permission for posts to be used in a study.
	Researcher disclosure	Researchers being transparent and honest about their intent. This can be either up-front or at a later stage.
Social media site responsibilities	Terms of service	Also known as “terms of use” or “terms and conditions,” these are the rules agreed to in order to use social media sites.
	Site administrators	Site administrators, list administrators or list moderators are often in charge of maintaining a discussion or mailing list.
	Legality	Refers to legal issues, regulation or government oversight and includes issues of copyright.
	Type of platform	The type of social media platform, for example closed or open, personal or professional. This is connected to issues of public versus private space, and the original purpose of the postings.