

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET
Title of Project: (please see guidance, above)
Name and Contact Details of Researcher(s):
Name and Contact Details of Supervisor (if relevant):
Ethics Committee Reference Number: (this may not be available at the time the form is submitted for review)
1.	Invitation
I/ We would like to invite you to take part in my/our research study. Joining the study is entirely up to you, before you decide I/we would like you to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. I/ one of our team, will go through this information sheet with you, to help you decide whether or not you would like to take part and answer any questions you may have. I/ We would suggest this should take about XX minutes. Please feel free to talk to others about the study if you wish. Do ask if anything is unclear.
I am / we are .. (Please add any information designed to introduce the researcher(s) in person including their status and role(s) as a researcher)
2. 	Study Summary
This study is concerned withwhich is important because..  We are seeking participants who should be  Participation in the research would require you to attend.and take approximately X hours of your time. 
Please insert a description of the type of participants you are seeking e.g. healthy males and females, aged between 18 and 39. Also give any inclusion or exclusion criteria, which may be physical characteristics (e.g. volunteers must be used to maximal exercise, or must not be cold-water habituated etc.) or employment / experiential characteristics (e.g. must be students, retail shop assistants, managers, marketers, professionals etc.).  Give some indication of time involved and any travel implications.

3. 	What is the purpose of the study?

Please insert here a description of the reason for the study, the techniques being used, and the practical details of the study as far as concerns the participants. It is entirely reasonable for projects to be primarily educational- so feel free to state that it is to help you gain a degree if this is a prime purpose of the study.
4. 	Why have I been invited?
You should explain how the potential participant was identified, including any reference to a gatekeeper. You should explain briefly why you need to recruit the reader and other similar potential participants (e.g. healthy volunteer, client of X service, professional qualified as X, customer of X service, student, person with condition X, person with abilities such as fit males, trained cyclists, women runners etc.). You should give an indication of the total number of participants.  You should make it clear whether you are inviting the participant in a personal capacity or as a member of an organisation (e.g. you might be inviting a company representative for an interview with the intention of learning more about the company from his professional perspective; on the other hand you might be seeking his personal view as a person with particular expertise reflected in his status as an employee).
5. 	Do I have to take part? 
No, taking part in this research is entirely voluntary. It is up to you to decide if you want to volunteer for the study. We will describe the study in this information sheet. If you agree to take part, we will then ask you to sign the attached consent form, dated xxx, version number, xxx.
6. 	What will happen to me if I take part?
You will be emailed a PIN and a Python (.py) file which will need to be downloaded. 

Check for Python, either install through AppsAnywhere (on UoP) or through self-installation. An automated file (.bat) will install Python for any users that do not have it currently installed. 
Run the Experimental File, while connected to the internet, and input the PIN. 


If the PIN is correct, then your participant number will be assigned and the task will start:

If the PIN is incorrect, you will see the following message:

Please re-check your email if you are experiencing this error. 
You will then be taken through the consent process, within the file, with an informed consent form and a copy of this information sheet. 
Please note: you cannot start the task without signing the consent form.

From here, you can begin the task using the Start the Task button. It will display three task names: 2-Back, Switching Task and 2-Choice Reaction Time.

If you do experience any issues, you can email using the cited email above, or use the integrated email feature in the task: 


7. 	Expenses and payments 
Please explain whether you intend to pay participants for their time and any burdens associated with the research or whether there will be some small token of monetary or other value (e.g. research participation credits used in Psychology) or any other gifts, as a thank-you,. You should make it clear whether you intend to reimburse travel and other out of pocket expenses (if funding does not permit reimbursement you should explain that this is the case and make potential participants aware of the situation.
8. 	Anything else I will have to do? 
Please insert here a clear explanation of any restrictions which will be placed on participants, or any instructions for them (e.g. that they should not drink alcohol within the 24 hours prior to each experiment, and should be free of the after-effects of alcohol exposure at the time of testing or that they will not be able to drive or operate heavy machinery for the 24 hours following each experiment, they should bring sports kit to the laboratory etc.).

9. 	What data will be collected and / or measurements taken? 
Age
Sex
Education 
Error Logs
RT
Accuracy
DNS-suffix (for university network or home network)
Time
Date
Iteration 
Trial Type

10. What are the possible disadvantages, burdens and risks of taking part? 
Here you should include details of any possible disadvantages or risks of participation (e.g. you may be tired following the experiment, emotional distress, accidental disclosure of personal or sensitive data, mild pain or discomfort, etc.).  You should also explain how the risks are minimised (e.g. safety procedures, risk assessments, medical screening and any first-aid / medical provision). In the case of potential to cause distress it is helpful to identify statutory and voluntary agencies which might be accessed for help.
If the study requires an Independent medical officer (IMO) (likely to be Department of Sports and Exercise Science only), please insert the following statement, otherwise delete: An independent medical officer / paramedic [delete as appropriate] will be [insert here the availability during the trial, e.g. `in attendance throughout, `on call from within the building, or available by telephone for consultation.] Their sole function is to act independently of the study team to ensure your safety and well-being. You may consult with them if you wish.
If the study does not require a medical officer or paramedic but nevertheless involves risks to health and safety, please describe the level of first-aid cover provided during the study (e.g. first-aider in attendance or in the building. If the experiment does not require first-aid cover, there is no need to describe this in the participant information sheet.
11. What are the possible advantages or benefits of taking part?
Direct benefits can be as simple as a training session (for exercise studies), or payment for participation. However often there is no direct benefit to the participant but you might want to suggest outcomes such as an improved service or better understanding of something. You must not exaggerate the possible benefits. If there are no direct benefits to the participant then please state as much e.g. You will not receive any direct personal benefits from participating but society (or a sub-group of society) may benefit from the results of this work by
12. Will my data be kept confidential?
DNS is overwritten every time and is only saved as Non-University Device or University Device. No record of IP Address, geolocation or default gateway will be kept. 
You are assigned a participant number and PIN, specific to yourself, which cannot be accessed by another participant. The participant number is stored against a PIN on a database, locked for access from anyone bar the researchers and supervisors. 
Measures of reaction time and accuracy are not identifiable, alongside measures of date, time and current task iteration. 
Additional measures of age, gender and education level may be perceived as identifiable. These measures are stored on a locked-access Google Drive folder accessible by the researchers and supervisors only. These will be used alongside your anonymised participant number. 
After analysis, a ten-year data retention policy requires all data to be kept securely for this period. It will remain in the Google Drive folder for this period until removal.
-----------------------------
Confidentiality is not always necessary or desirable  e.g. the research topic might be concerned with recovering lost voices, in which case it would be unethical to treat data in confidence.  In some cases participants wish to be identified and acknowledged.  Please make sure that, whatever arrangements are explained and offered here, consent is sought, as appropriate, and recorded in the consent form.
Anonymisation might be offered as a strategy to ensure confidentiality.  Again, anonymity is not ethically required for all participants, in all studies; if it is to be provided, further explanation will be required and should be summarised here.  Will data be fully anonymised or linked anonymised?  Will anonymity ensure that the participant cannot be identified  sometimes it is possible to identify a participant using a combination of available data.  Clear explanation of any anonymisation strategies should be given here and any risks of the participant being identified must be clearly stated.
Any limitations regarding confidentiality must be clearly stated.  Limits might relate to the safeguarding of the participant or others.  They might also relate to matters such as the action a researcher might make in the event of the participant disclosing an unprosecuted criminal offence or, in the case of a professional practitioner, misconduct.
Normally the following phrase is included:
The raw data, which identifies you, will be kept securely by the researcher and / or their supervisor. (Secure storage arrangements should be explained e.g. on a password protected research folder on the university system)
You should tell the participant how their confidentiality will be safeguarded during and after the study. You must tell the participants how your procedures for handling, processing, storage and destruction of their data will be managed. The participant must be told: 
- what data will be collected (ideally in bullet points)
- how their data will be collected (e.g. paper records, electronic data acquisition systems, video or audio recording, photography etc.); 
	- that it will be stored securely, and detailing who will have access to the data;
- what it will be used for in the study and, if relevant, after the study e.g. shared with other researchers, used for further research, retained for the purposes of constructing a data base or registry etc.
- whether the data will be stored abroad
Similar considerations apply to any collection of tissue or DNA
Typical statements include:
The data, when made anonymous, may be presented to others at academic conferences, or published as a project report, academic dissertation or in academic journals or book. It could also be made available to any commissioner or funder of the research.  
Anonymous data, which does not identify you, will be publicly shared at the end of the project and made open access.  A CC-BY licence will be applied to this publicly shared data.  This will allow anyone else (including researchers, businesses, governments, charities, and the general public) to use the anonymised data for any purpose that they wish, providing they credit the University and research team as the original creators. No restrictions will be placed on this shared anonymised data limiting its reuse to only non-commercial ventures.
The raw data, which would identify you, will not be passed to anyone outside the study team without your express written permission. The exception to this will be any regulatory authority which has the legal right to access the data for the purposes of conducting an audit or enquiry, in exceptional cases. These agencies treat your personal data in confidence.
The raw data will be retained for a minimum of 10 years. When it is no longer required, the data will be disposed of securely (e.g. electronic media and paper records / images) destroyed. Note the policy for retention of research data requires retention for between 10 to 30 years and can be accessed from section 7, (and subsections) at the following link: 
https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/structure-and-governance/legal/retention-schedules
While the University policy requires a minimum of 10 years retention period, if your research is externally funded then your funder may have a longer retention period which takes precedence.
Note that in some cases sensitive raw data may be destroyed soon after collection when the data for analysis have been extracted e.g. video images or sound recordings. Make this clear to the participants if this is the case, and what data will be retained. 
When writing this section, you should consult the following sections of the Research Data Management web page:
Storing personal research data
Storing data while your project is taking place
Managing (including sharing) research data after your project has finished
       Licencing 
GDPR compliance
In 2018 the EUs General Data Protection Regulations came into force along with the UKs Data Protection Act 2018. THESE DO NOT APPLY TO ANONYMOUS DATA. If you are intending to collect identifiable personal or special category data you must first consider the legal basis you will use for handling this. Normally this legal basis will be consent, although it should be noted that organisations such as the Health Research Authority recommend alternatives in some cases. There is more advice available on wording for alternative legal bases on https://www.port.ac.uk/research/research-culture/research-ethics If you intend to use consent as your legal basis the following text must be added (although please proof-read your document to make sure you are not duplicating statements):
The [enter name of department /school /project team etc] of the University of Portsmouth wishes to process your personal data (that is, collect, use, store and destroy data that identifies you) as part of the [enter name of the project / survey / reason for requiring the data]. If you have any queries about this [project / survey / other reason for processing] please contact [enter contact details of someone in the dept / school or project team etc] or if you have any general queries about how your data will be processed, please contact the Universitys Data Protection Officer, Samantha Hill, using any of the following contact details: 
Samantha Hill, 023 9284 3642 or information-matters@port.ac.uk
University House, Winston Churchill Avenue, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2UP, UK
We ask for your consent to process the data we ask for in the [project / survey / other reason for processing], so that we can conduct the research as described in the participant information sheet. We will only share your personalised data with [enter here anyone with whom we might share the data outside of the University if relevant]. 
Your personal data will be held securely on [University servers / held on paper in cabinets] (we [will/will not] store your data outside the EU) for [how long do we keep the data in a way that can identify anyone?], and securely destroyed after that date. [If we might keep the information anonymously after this date it is best to explain that here and why we might do this]. 
Although you have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, to restrict the use of your personal data, to be forgotten, to data portability, and to withdraw your consent for the use of your data, it is possible that we may not be able to fully comply with those rights where your data has been used for the research and / or has been anonymised. For more information on your rights in general, please see the information on the following links: 
https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/structure-and-governance/legal/data-protection-and-gdpr/requesting-your-data
You also have the right to lodge a complaint about the use of your personal data to initially the University (email information-matters@port.ac.uk) and then, if you are unhappy with our response, to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)  for more information please see https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/raising-concerns/ .
13. What will happen if I dont want to carry on with the study? 
As a volunteer you can stop any participation (add detail here  test / experiment / interview etc.) at any time, or withdraw from the study at any time before (specify date), without giving a reason if you do not wish to. If you do withdraw from a study after some data have been collected you will be asked if you are content for the data collected thus far to be retained and included in the study. If you prefer, the data collected can be destroyed and not included in the study. Once the research has been completed, and the data analysed, it will not be possible for you to withdraw your data from the study.
14. What if there is a problem?
If you have a query, concern or complaint about any aspect of this study, in the first instance you should contact the researcher(s) if appropriate. If you are using the task, the email function on the left side of the screen is the easiest way to contact the researcher. This will be sent to a project-specific account monitored closely for any issues encountered. 
If the researcher is a student, there will also be an academic member of staff listed as the supervisor whom you can contact. If there is a complaint and there is a supervisor listed, please contact the Supervisor with details of the complaint. The contact details for both the researcher and any supervisor are detailed on page 1.
If your concern or complaint is not resolved by the researcher or their supervisor, you should contact the Head of Department:

       The Head of Department			Dr Lucy Akehurst
       Department / School of..			023 9284 xxxx
       University of Portsmouth			lucy.akehurst@port.ac.uk
       xxxx
       xxxxx
       Portsmouth
       PO1 XXX
If the complaint remains unresolved, please contact: 
	The University Complaints Officer
       023 9284 3642	complaintsadvice@port.ac.uk
(If the data collection is being undertaken outside of the UK, phone numbers should specify UK access codes and addresses should include the fact that Portsmouth is in the UK.)
15. Who is funding the research? 
This research is being funded by [give details of the funding agency e.g. The University of Portsmouth, The Ministry of Defence, Company Name etc. or joint funding details.] None of the researchers or study staff will receive any financial reward by conducting this study, other than their normal salary / bursary as an employee / student of the University (or alternative if this is not the case i.e. paid consultancy work).
16. Who has reviewed the study?
Research involving human participants is reviewed by an ethics committee to ensure that the dignity and well-being of participants is respected.  This study has been reviewed by the xxxxx Faculty Ethics Committee and been given favourable ethical opinion. 
Thank you
    	Thank you for taking time to read this information sheet and for considering volunteering for this research.
PIS-Guidance and Template	            Version 2.8 November 2020	



