How to Use—And How Not to Use—Public Forums in Research

Abstract Public forums can be a boon for researchers—but also present thorny ethical issues. In this News and Perspectives article, JMIR Correspondent Simon Spichak reports on some of the challenges, missteps, and necessary corrections for using public forums in research.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Published
2026-09-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.2196/112727
Primary Topic
Social Media in Health Education
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

How to Use—And How Not to Use—Public Forums in Research

Simon Spichak
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Social Media in Health Education
article

How to Use—And How Not to Use—Public Forums in Research

Simon Spichak
article en

Abstract

Abstract Public forums can be a boon for researchers—but also present thorny ethical issues. In this News and Perspectives article, JMIR Correspondent Simon Spichak reports on some of the challenges, missteps, and necessary corrections for using public forums in research.

Journal of Medical Internet ResearchVol. 28
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Social Media in Health Education
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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How to Use—And How Not to Use—Public Forums in Research — Simon Spichak · Journal of Medical Internet Research (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS