Rod, There is another issue which your colleague did not raise but which is important here and may be important elsewhere. That issue is what constitutes voluntary consent. Here, a professor may not solicit his or her students in class to participate as research subjects (although it's okay if they come across a flyer and decide to participate). So it seems to me that passing out surveys in class is potentially problematic in that students could feel pressured to participate, because of the seeming involvement of their professor in the research. I realize, though, that surveys tend to be subject to fewer requirements.
Again this seems like something to check with your local IRB committee. Did they approve this form of distribution of surveys? Also, I don't quite understand why the name of the researcher has to be withheld to prevent bias in responding. If the surveys are anonymous, and participants are free not to respond to particular items, then why should they care about how their responses will be perceived, when the researcher won't know who they are? It seems to me that either the questions are quite harmless and the identity of the researcher (or the student researcher's sponsor) should be included, or they are potentially problematic (e.g. has X [the student researcher] ever done Y to you?) and contact numbers need to be provided to participants with questions. Or perhaps the questions are generally likely to produce dishonest answers (e.g. are you prejudiced against X group? do you use illegal drugs?) in which case the identity of the researcher is not the reason for response bias. It doesn't sound like a well-considered study. And even if surveys could be distributed to my students, I would not be willing to do so without someone willing to vouch for the scientific quality of the study. Charlotte >Hi everyone: > >I just got an email from a colleague asking for my guidance in a potentially >unethical situation in his department involving research and informed >consent. I told him that I would like to submit this question to TIPS and he >gave me permission to do so. Please respond to me on the list and I will >forward all of your responses to him. Thanks for your help with this! > >Rod > >Here are the relevant comments pasted from his email: >-- >-- >Earlier today I received an envelope in my mailbox containing a number of >blank surveys and a cover letter requesting my participation in the research >project. The researcher is a undergraduate student in an Experimental >Research and Design course and is conducting this study as part of the course >requirements. In the cover letter, the student researcher requested that I >distribute the surveys to the students in one of my classes, allow them class >time to anonymously complete the survey, and return the completed surveys to >our department chair (who is also the instructor of the course). The cover >letter had all the standard elements of an informed consent form, including a >comment that the research had been approved by the appropriate university >review boards, but the letter did not include the name of the student >researcher. Instead of the signature, it read: �Name Withheld (to prevent >bias in people responding)�. > >After receiving this packet I spoke to the department chair about whether or >not this sort of anonymous informed consent form was customary for this >course. The department chair stated that the student researcher was >concerned that some faculty and students might not comply with the research >if they knew the identity of the student researcher. Apparently, the student >researcher was concerned that some of the faculty and students did not like >her and thus would choose to not participate in the study. > >Question #1: Is the identity of the researcher something that is ethically >required to be included in an informed consent form? That is, can >participants truly give informed consent if they don�t know who is conducting >the research? > >Question #2: If this research is not considered ethical because of the >anonymity of the researcher, should I still distribute these surveys to my >students? Would I be acting unethically if I did this? > >Question #3: If this research is not considered ethical because of the >anonymity of the researcher, is the department chair acting unethically by >allowing this type of research to be conducted by her students? Should I >approach the department chair about my reasons for not distributing the >survey to my students? Keep in mind that I am an untenured, junior faculty >and the department chair will play a major role when I go up for tenure. If >I approach the department chair about my concerns with this research, am I >jeopardizing my own future at this university? > > >--- >You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- ================================================= Charlotte F. Manly, Ph.D. Psychological & Brain Sciences Assistant Professor 317 Life Sciences Bldg ph: (502) 852-8162 University of Louisville fax: (502) 852-8904 Louisville, KY 40292 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.louisville.edu/a-s/psychology/ http://www.louisville.edu/~cfmanl01 USE 40208 ZIP CODE FOR FEDEX --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
