I think there are enough "subjects" around to do a research job on the topic of list moderation. I suggest you rethink the notion of excluding those with less than six months of experience. I'd guess that they will provide good insights into the "difference" of expectations and perspectives between novices and experienced listserv moderators/owners. You would also need to consider the issue of including/excluding those who are owners/modertors of any particular brand(s) of mailing list servers. Each "brand" provides more or fewer features to be considered, used and configured, and each therefore leads to potentially exclusive and alternative experiences. And, there is the issue of distinguishing the several "types" of lists. Purposes/goals/objectives are different, and the modus operandi varies among lists. So, all list owners/moderators are not equal, i.e., they may not be of the same population, of the same phenomenon, unless you are careful about how you define them. But, of course, that's part of the fun and of the research problem, isn't it. I'm not sure how well the topic can be handled as a doctoral dissertation (even though it is surely a valid research topic[s]); that is going to depend completely on the attitude/position/help of your dissertation committee (and on you, of course). Peter R.