Hi, everyone! For my Qualitative Research Methods class, I am trying to conduct a study on how participants in fanfiction communities talk about mental health. This study has been approved by the IRB, protocol #22-2801. Ultimately, I aim to increase the bodies of research surrounding fanfiction and mental health, as well as encourage readers of the final paper to seek help for mental health if they need it. More elaborate study details are provided under the “Keep Reading”. You must be at least 18 years old and active in a fanfiction community (either a reader, writer, or both) such as Archive of Our Own or Fanfiction.net to participate. Your usernames and personal information will be kept confidential, and you are free to back out of the study at any time. After you read all of the study information, please message me privately if you’re interested or if you have questions. This is to ensure confidentiality. The deadline to message me will be Friday, October 22nd at 11:59 p.m. (since I’m on a bit of a time crunch).
Good morning,
My name is Clara Barnhardt, and I am a graduate student at James Madison University studying Communication and Advocacy. I have been an active participant in multiple fanfiction communities including Fanfiction.net and Archive of Our Own for almost 10 years. For my Qualitative Research Methods class, I would like to conduct a qualitative study focusing on how readers and writers of fanfiction talk about mental health. This study has been approved by the IRB, protocol #22-2801. I aim to broaden the bodies of knowledge surrounding fanfiction and mental health. Ultimately, my goal is to encourage individuals to seek out help to improve their mental health if needed.
The procedures for the study are outlined here:
“Participant criterion will include being at least 18 years old and being active on Archive of Our Own or Fanfiction.net, either as a fanfiction reader, writer, or both.
I will ask individuals who are interested in participating in the study to message me privately to ensure confidentiality. For each user who messages me, I will inform them of the purpose of the study. Additionally, I will inform them that their real usernames and personal information will be kept confidential, that their participation is voluntary, and that they are free to back out of the study at any time.
I will set October 22, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. as the deadline for responding to ensure enough time to collect data. After the deadline has passed, depending on how many responses I have received, I will select 4 to 6 users to interview based upon the order in which they were received.
The interview will take place in a private Discord group specifically created for the study. This group will be private to ensure confidentiality. If participants choose, they may also type in the chat. I will give the option of voice call and typing to users to make the interview more accessible for those who may not be comfortable using one or the other.
At the start of the interview, I will provide participants with the informed consent form. In the consent form, I will inform them that their real usernames and personal information will be kept confidential, that their participation is voluntary, and that they are free to back out of the study at any time. I will also provide them with mental health resources both before and after the study. The interview will take place for approximately one hour. I will record audio for transcribing purposes only. For chat text comments, I will record them in a private Microsoft Word document with audio timestamps.
During the interview, I will ask them questions surrounding their experiences with Archive of Our Own and mental health. At the conclusion of the interview, I will once again provide participants with mental health resources and thank them for participating.
To ensure confidentiality, after I have fully transcribed the audio and text comments from the interview, I will delete the private study Discord server.”
If you would like to participate in this study, please message me privately. If you have any questions, please message me privately.
