I’m wondering if The Chronicle of Higher Ed or Inside Higher Ed will pick up on this little gem. Two researchers (cognitive neuroscientists) at Boston University thought it would be a good idea to sell a book based on what I can only characterize as a fairly lurid and provacative set of premises about the people who write fan fiction. They proceeded to survey the community they were “studying” without any sensitivity to or sensibility of the ethical obligations they entered into when they undertook human subjects research.
Hijinks, naturally, ensue. There are many folks in fandom who are also academics.
Wearing the Juice: A Case Study in Research Implosion from Roughtheory.org gives a good overview with relevant links.
Anita DeRouen 