Contribute to our research: your experience in ECS

We are recruiting participants to take part in interviews and small group discussions exploring the experience of research fellows and postgraduate students  in ECS.

We are particularly interested in the experience of female students and RFs who have been in ECS any time since 2010, but all experiences related to equality and diversity are of interest.

Discussion groups  and interviews will be arranged at the convenience of the participants. Some participants will have already graduated while others will still be on campus.  Where participants are not on campus  we plan to arrange the interviews via an online discussion, for example via phone or Skype.

If you would like to participate, please complete the online form right now indicating your initial interest.

Reference number: ERGO/FPSE/13813

You will find below the formal participant information sheet will be explained again at the time of the interviews or discussion, but which may help clarify how the process will proceed.

Participant Information Interview

Invitation: We would like to invite you to take part in an individual interview for a research study. Before you make any decision regarding participation you need to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. Please take time to read the following information carefully before deciding to take part in the research. Talk to others about the study if you wish. If you are happy to participate indicate via the consent form. Your participation is completely voluntary.

What is the research about? This research project is associated with the submission for an AthenaSWAN Silver Charter by ECS. The study aims to explore the experience of research fellows and postgraduate students from the perspective of their personal and professional development along with your experience of your research group and academic unit. At the end of the study, when we have analysed the data and written a paper presenting the findings you will receive an email telling you where to access the draft study findings and see how your data was used. You can follow our work in progress via the AthenaSWAN blog for ECS http://blog.soton.ac.uk/athenaswanecs

Why have I been chosen? You have been approached because you are currently or have been a postgraduate student or research fellow in ECS studying or graduating since 2010.

What will happen to me if I take part? You will be invited to take part in an interview, face to face or via the internet, at a time convenient to you. The interview will take about 45 minutes in total, and involve you considering some of the general reflections on known issues associated with the AthenaSWAN agenda, and relating it to your personal experience.

Are there any benefits in my taking part? You may find the questions interesting; they may be relevant to your work and personal career development. You may be pleased to add to current knowledge and understanding about how postgraduates and research fellows experience their participation in their research groups, ECS and across the wider University.

Are there any risks involved? There are no particular risks associated with your participation.

Will my data be confidential?

All information that is collected from and about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential. Personal details (e.g. name) will be kept securely and separately from all other research data and accessed by the research team only. You will be allocated a code name/number on all other documentation so that at no time will any of your personal details be revealed. A digital audio recording of the discussion will be made, the researchers will keep responses made during the discussion confidential.
In the interim your digital audio data will be held on a password protected computer/secure University server, and used only in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998). This data will be transcribed, with the allocation of an anonymising alphabetic code being used to identify your contributions. In the transcript and reporting the findings, the researchers will ensure that no information is revealed which identifies you personally or directly. If quoted, or paraphrased, your contributions will only be identified by an alphabetic index to participants. The procedure for handling, processing, storage and destruction of any data collected during the study are compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998 and in line with the University of Southampton’s Policy. Any individual experiences or quotes used subsequently in reports of the study will not be attributed to the source. You will be provided with an opportunity to review the draft report prior to its publication and use.

Audio, from which your voice could potentially be recognised, will be destroyed at the end of the study as per University of Southampton guidelines. An anonymised version of the transcript of the discussion and any anonymised researchers’ notes will be archived by the university once the analysis has been completed.

What happens if I change my mind? You may access, change, or withdraw your data at any time for any reason prior to end of the study. However once they are published you cannot modify or withdraw your responses. .

If you would like to access your data after your participation, change it, or withdraw it, please contact the principal investigator by e-mailing su@soton.ac.uk who will arrange this.

What happens if something goes wrong? Should you have any concern or complaint

If possible contact the principal investigator Su White e-mail su@soton.ac.uk Otherwise please contact the FPSE operations office (e-mail J.M.Calder-Smith@soton.ac.uk ) or any other authoritative body such as the Head of Research Governance (02380 595058, rginfo@soton.ac.uk).

If you would like to participate, please complete the online form right now indicating your initial interest.

Participant Information: group discussion

We would like to invite you to take part in a group discussion meeting for a research study. Please read this information carefully before deciding to take part in the research. Before you make any decision regarding participation you need to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you.

Please take time to read the following information carefully. Talk to others about the study if you wish. If you are happy to participate indicate via the consent form. Your participation is completely voluntary.

What is the research about? This research project is associated with the submission for an AthenaSWAN Silver Charter by ECS. The study aims to explore the experience of research fellows and postgraduate students from the perspective of their personal and professional development along with your experience of your research group and academic unit. At the end of the study, when we have analysed the data and written a paper presenting the findings you will receive an email telling you where to access the draft study findings and see how your data was used. You can follow our work in progress via the AthenaSWAN blog for ECS http://blog.soton.ac.uk/athenaswanecs

Why have I been chosen? You have been approached because you are currently or have been a postgraduate student or research fellow in ECS studying or graduating since 2010.

What will happen to me if I take part? You will be invited to take part in a focus group meeting at a time convenient to you. The meeting will take about 45 minutes in total, and involve a group discussion with about 10-12 others considering some of the general reflections on known issues associated with the AthenaSWAN agenda and relating it to your personal experience.

Are there any benefits in my taking part? You may find the questions interesting; they may be relevant to your work and personal career development. You may be pleased to add to current knowledge and understanding about how postgraduates and research fellows experience their participation in their research groups, ECS and across the wider University.

Are there any risks involved? There are no particular risks associated with your participation.

Will my data be confidential?

In groups it is important that all participants are able to be open and honest. An agreement will be sought within each group to respect each other’s confidentiality however confidentiality between group members cannot be guaranteed by the researchers.

All information that is collected from and about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential. Personal details (e.g. name) will be kept securely and separately from all other research data and accessed by the research team only. You will be allocated a code name/number on all other documentation so that at no time will any of your personal details be revealed. A digital audio recording of the discussion will be made, the researchers will keep responses made during the discussion confidential.
In the interim your digital audio data will be held on a password protected computer/secure University server, and used only in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998). This data will be transcribed, with the allocation of an anonymising alphabetic code being used to identify your contributions. In the transcript and reporting the findings, the researchers will ensure that no information is revealed which identifies you personally or directly. If quoted, or paraphrased, your contributions will only be identified by an alphabetic index to participants. The procedure for handling, processing, storage and destruction of any data collected during the study are compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998 and in line with the University of Southampton’s Policy. Any individual experiences or quotes used subsequently in reports of the study will not be attributed to the source. You will be provided with an opportunity to review the draft report prior to its publication and use.

Audio, from which your voice could potentially be recognised, will be destroyed at the end of the study as per University of Southampton guidelines. An anonymised version of the transcript of the discussion and any anonymised researchers’ notes will be archived by the university once the analysis has been completed.

What happens if I change my mind? You may access, change, or withdraw your data at any time for any reason prior to end of the study. However once they are published you cannot modify or withdraw your responses. .

If you would like to access your data after your participation, change it, or withdraw it, please contact the principal investigator by e-mailing su@soton.ac.uk who will arrange this.

What happens if something goes wrong? Should you have any concern or complaint

If possible contact the principal investigator Su White e-mail su@soton.ac.uk

Otherwise please contact the FPSE operations office (e-mail J.M.Calder-Smith@soton.ac.uk )or any other authoritative body such as the Head of Research Governance (02380 595058, rginfo@soton.ac.uk).

If you would like to participate, please complete the online form right now indicating your initial interest.