Blurb:

This chapter outlines particular methodological issues underlying the present study. It describes the important role of the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research in e-mail research, the data collection process, the particular participants and context involved in this study, including the number of actual e-mail messages under investigation, and the methods of data analysis used to investigate these student e-mails. This chapter also addresses advantages and disadvantages involved in analyzing natural versus elicited data.