Hello and invitation to participate in research

Hello everyone!

My name is Keilidh Clapperton, and I am a postgraduate student in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. I am currently conducting research in completion of my Honours thesis, titled ‘Sourdough and sociality’, which aims to explore the relationships that factor into the making of sourdough bread. I will be reading forum discussions and blog posts on The Fresh Loaf, and I may collect some of the information included in these posts for research purposes and include this information in my thesis. I may also contact individual members to invite them to participate in interviews, which I will conduct over email. All usernames will be anonymised, and I will not ask for any personally-identifiable information. I am also a new sourdough baker, and I have made a few moderately-successful loaves (and a few flops!), so I am keen to participate on the forum and learn more about making sourdough bread!

Please feel free to get in touch with me via email (keilidh.clapperton.1@gmail.com) or private message if you would like to know more about my research, how your data will be used, how the security and confidentiality of your information will be maintained and, most importantly, if you are unhappy for your posts to be used in my research. Participation is entirely voluntary, and I will not collect information from the blog or forum posts of anyone who indicates to me that they do not want their information to be included in my research. Even if you agree to participate in my research at this stage, you are free to withdraw at any time. 

Happy baking!

Keilidh