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. 2012;9(10):e1001328.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001328. Epub 2012 Oct 23.

Research conducted using data obtained through online communities: ethical implications of methodological limitations

A Cecile J W Janssens  1 , Peter Kraft
Affiliations

Research conducted using data obtained through online communities: ethical implications of methodological limitations

A Cecile J W Janssens et al. PLoS Med. 2012.

Abstract

An Essay by A. Cecile Janssens and Peter Kraft discusses the limitations inherent in research involving collection of self-reported data by self-selected participants, and makes proposals for upfront communication of such limitations to study participants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Centre for Medical Systems Biology (CMSB) in the framework of the Netherlands Genomics Initiative (NGI). ACJW Janssens was sponsored by the VIDI grant of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.