Study Protocol Packages and Threats to Validity

Media effects research is frequently published in The Journal of Sex Research (JSR). Media effects scholars are quite cognizant of various research protocol threats to validity, thinking extensively about their selection of measures, methods, and data analysis tactics. They may pay less attention to how the protocol package aspects of their studies could pose validity threats, however. Using a recent study's recruitment and informed consent documents as illustration, this letter describes a specific and serious protocol package-based validity threat in media effects research. We encourage our fellow sexuality scholars, those interested in media effects and beyond, to think as much about potential protocol package validity threats as they do other aspects of their research designs.