Rod, As chair of our IRB, I can only tell you what our requirements are. The informed consent form, to be signed by all participants (i.e. those completing the survey), should contain the investigator's name or that of the project director (if different from the individual actually collecting the data), address, and telephone number to permit the participants the opportunity to ask questions and/or report any study related problems. There should be a statement on the informed consent form that participants are free to contact this individual at any time with study concerns. Although IRB's have the option of waiving the requirement of a signature from a participant on a consent form, given a compelling reason to do so in their weighing of study costs vs benefits, I am not aware of any option to waive the revelation of the project director from the participants. If you have concerns, I would certainly contact the chair of your IRB and request information on any waivers that may have been granted by the IRB for this particular study or who's name should appear on the consent form as the study's contact person. The department chair (I am also a dept. chair) should not be involved at all (unless project director) and his/her authority does not trump that of the IRB with respect to the conduct of research involving human participants. In fact, as a course instructor, I would recommend not playing any role in the "conduct" of the study at all without first contacting the IRB chair to find out whether the IRB approved of the distribution and collection of survey data by individuals other than the study director or his/her agent. Although an instructor may (or may not) grant permission for his/her class to be solicited to participate, it is typically the responsibility of the project director (or his/her agent) to arrange to obtain the required consents, distribute the surveys, and collect them. Otherwise, the instructor becomes part of the study as the "experimenter" and would also become subject to any potential liability should participants experience any "adverse effects". George Goedel Northern Kentucky University
>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] -- George D. Goedel Professor & Chairperson Department of Psychology Northern Kentucky University Highland Hts., KY 41099-2000 (859) 572-5574 fax (859) 572-6085 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
