I am close submitting my thesis for examination (woo hoo!). If you’re reading this, that might be because I’ve asked you for permission to reproduce some of your words, be they from a tweet, blog post or interview.

I’m guided by the norms and practices of educators on Twitter, who share openly and generously, and tend to credit and thank others for their contributions. From the beginning of my study, I aimed for an ethical stance which followed similar principles and discussed these matters briefly in this post, and more broadly in these. One ethical framework in particular (Williams et al, 2017) helped me think through the decision making process which guided me in requesting permission to publish (or not).

So, I’m asking two questions:

1. Would you do me the favour of allowing me to reproduce your tweet, part of your blog post or comments, or some of the words from our interview?
2. If you answered yes to the above, I would like to credit your ‘authorship’ and name you within the published work. However, if you would prefer to remain anonymous (as far as that’s possible in online settings), do please say so.

Initially my thesis will only be read by my supervisors and examiners, but if (when?) it passes, I’ll follow the University policy for doctoral theses, and post it online on SHURA (Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive). I may also talk about my research in presentations, and may later publish elements of my research in academic journals.

If you have any questions, do please contact me either @IaninSheffield (DMs are open), or by email (contact details here).