Informed Consent
Experiencing academic work and development: research students and research
staff perceptions of academic practice
We are a team of researchers (Lynn McAlpine, David Mills, Nick Hopwood, Susan Harris-Huemmert,
Patrick Alexander [correct at time of signing]) at the University of Oxford. We are conducting a study to
help us more clearly understand the experiences of doctoral students, as they progress through their
programmes, and research staff / postdocs as they begin their formal careers. To accomplish our goals, we
aim to:
a)
b)
c)
Document the experiences and assess the needs of a number of doctoral students at different
points in their programme;
Document the experiences and assess the needs of early career research staff and postdocs;
Document the perspectives of Directors of Graduate Studies / Directors of Research Centres.
If you agree to be part of this study you will have the choice of participating in one or more of the
following:
a)
b)
c)
Structured written log describing your activities over a week (completed once a month for six
months).
Short questionnaire (5-15 minutes);
Audio recorded interview (up to 60 min) to document your perceptions of your experiences;
All interviews will be conducted by members of the research team (subject to staff changes). Data you
provide will be stored anonymously in digital and paper form and may be analysed by all members of the
research team. One digital and one paper file linking participants’ real names with the pseudonyms used in
the study will also be kept for the duration of the study. The study has been judged as meeting appropriate
ethical standards by the University of Oxford Central University Research Ethics Committee (Ref No:
SSD/CUREC1/07 – 041), and this consent form is an important part of maintaining ethical rigour in our
research.
Your involvement will give you an opportunity to play a role in enhancing the quality of your own
experience and that of other current and future students or research staff. Participants in previous studies
have often found the process of writing and thinking about their experiences both interesting and
enjoyable. Furthermore we will be happy to provide you with information that may enhance your
experiences, for example, how to set up a writing group in which to develop your writing skills; provisions
in the university that can contribute to your knowledge of teaching.
We do not foresee any potential risks or discomfort to you as a result of participating, and participation is
entirely voluntary. We will take the following steps to guarantee your rights as a participant in this study:
Your rights as a participant:
1. You have the right to review all of your data at any time;
2. Your identity, any personal information, and the identities of people mentioned in any interview or
email communication will be confidential (this is a default practice and need not be requested)
3. You may choose an alias, or we will assign one for you, so that your name is not directly
associated with particular pieces of data;
4. The results will be reported in an aggregated fashion and any particular findings will not be
attributed to you without seeking your permission;
5. You always have the right to withdraw at any time without any penalty or prejudice; this study is
in no way a part of the course you are taking or your contract of employment (whichever is
relevant), and there are no consequences for refusal to participate in this project or any part of it;
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6. You may request copies of any reports or publications relating to the study, or of transcriptions of
interviews you participate in;
7. If you have a concern about any aspect of this project please contact Nick Hopwood in the first
instance (details below), who will try to address your query or concern. If you remain unhappy and
wish to make a formal complaint please contact IDREC Chair (currently Richard Pring
richard.pring@education.ox.ac.uk) or Secretary Jane Dale (jane.dale@admin.ox.ac.uk) who will
then direct your complaint to the appropriate body.
Procedures we adopt to protect your rights an anonymity:
1. In accordance with the Data Protection Act, all data will be stored in anonymised form (with the
exception of one file linking aliases to real names, kept for the duration of the study and secured
using password protection), any contextual information that might reveal to particular individuals
being identifiable will be removed;
2. At the end of the project the data will be stored and kept secure for give years. During the project
and this additional time data will be accessible to project team members and those to whom a
member of the team has authorised access (any data shared in this way will be anonymised);
3. All signed informed consent forms will be kept in a locked cupboard;
4. Any documents in which you may be identified will not be shared with third parties without your
written permission (although anonymised data may be shared with others);
5. None of participants’ home institutions will be identified by name in publication or dissemination.
We will be happy to share our findings with you. Results of this study will be presented at professional
conferences and submitted for peer review and publication in professional journals and/or newsletters.
In order for you to participate, the University requires that you understand the nature of the study in which
you have agreed to participate. After reading this document, please sign below if you agree to participate.
We seek your help and support in order to do this research which should give valuable insight into more
effective methods for enhancing the experiences of doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers at
Oxford and other universities. So, thank you for considering this request.
Sincerely,
Lynn McAlpine (on behalf on the research team)
Senior Research Fellow
Department of Education
University of Oxford
The contact details for Lynn McAlpine are:
01865 286810 or lynn.mcalpine@learning.ox.ac.uk
The contact details for David Mills are:
01865 274053 or david.mills@education.ox.ac.uk
The contact details for Nick Hopwood are:
01865 286986 or nick.hopwood@learning.ox.ac.uk
PLEASE KEEP PAGES 1 AND 2 OR A COPY OF THEM FOR YOUR RECORDS
Continued overleaf
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Please make sure you understand and agree to the following statements before giving consent to
participate
--- I have read the information provided in this document
--- I have had opportunity to ask questions about the study and have received satisfactory answers to these
questions and any additional details requested
--- I understand the purpose of this study and know about the risks, benefits and inconveniences that this
research project entails.
--- I understand that I am free to withdraw at anytime from the study without any penalty or prejudice, by
advising a member of the team of my decision
--- I understand that this project has been reviewed by and received ethics clearance through the University
of Oxford Central University Research Ethics Committee
--- I understand that this research will not affect the evaluation of my progress in my doctoral programme
or my status as a contract researcher or postdoc
--- I understand how confidentiality will be maintained during this research project.
--- I understand who will have access to personal data, how data will be stored and the anticipated uses of
data, especially with respect to publication, communication and dissemination of results
--- I understand that interviews may be audio recorded digitally, and that written documents may also be
used as data.
--- I understand that my identity will be protected; audio recordings will be used only for research
purposes.
I have read the above and I understand all of the conditions. I freely give consent and voluntarily agree to
participate in this study.
Name (please print) ____________________________________________________
Signature______________________________________________ Date ___________
Name of researcher securing consent ______________________________________
Signature ______________________________________________ Date__________
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