Researching Digitally

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 5
• Convenor: Dr Robert Topinka
• Assessment: a 1500-word research project abstract and outline (35%) and 2500-word pilot study (65%)

In this module we examine the wide range of methodological and ethical issues entailed in working with digital media. Spanning practices of research across academic, journalistic and other professional practices, you will gain an understanding of the techniques and ethical dimensions of digital research, including privacy, online harm and security, intellectual property, social media research, data scraping, algorithmic accountability, AI, freedom of speech, regulation and disclosure.

Indicative syllabus

• Digital media research: ethical principles and legal context 
• Digital platform regulation and oversight 
• Privacy, source protection and libel
• Online harm and security; freedom of speech vs hate speech 
• Intellectual property, copyright and disclosure 
• Open-source digital archives, FOI and data dumps 
• Social media research: computational and qualitative techniques 
• Data scraping, analysis and visualisation 
• Dark net and private network research 
• Algorithmic accountability 
• AI and machine learning