Web archives for data collection: An ethics case study

BackgroundWeb archives offer researchers a promising source for large-scale longitudinal data collection; however, their complex social and technical infrastructures create an array of ethical concerns. In addition, there is a notable lack of guidance available for researchers hoping to conduct0 ethical research using web archives.MethodsWe present an ethical decision-making case study based on an ongoing research project using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine to study faculty appointments and mobility at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).ResultsThis paper contributes to information ethics discourse by expanding on the Association of Internet Researchers' recommendations for ethical decision-making, and mapping ethical considerations for each stage of the project within existing conceptual frameworks for research using web archives.ConclusionsBy utilizing internet research guidance and web archive research frameworks in a case study approach, we hope to aid future researchers conducting internet research of a similar nature by serving as a useful reference.