Participant Information
Climate change and its relationship with Covid-19
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Department of Psychology, Health, and Professional Development Oxford Brookes University, Headington, OXFORD OX3 0BP.
Researcher: Taimaru Kimber-Bidlot, Undergraduate, Email: taimarukkb@gmail.com
Supervisor: Wakefield Morys-Carter, Email: p0071480@brookes.ac.uk, Tel: 01865484154
Please take time to read the following information carefully.
What is the purpose of the study?
The purpose of this study is to evaluate social media and climate change and the impact of covid-19 on climate change reporting.
Why have I been invited to participate?
This study is on adults in the UK aged 18 and over. A total of 100 people will be asked to participate. If you are currently studying at Oxford Brookes University, you are unable to take part in this study.
Do I have to take part?
No. It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you do decide to take part you are still free to withdraw unprocessed data at any time before reaching the end of the survey by closing the browser before pressing the 'submit' button or by contacting the researcher anonymously via a Withdraw Consent button that will be displayed on screen after you submit (delete if not applicable).
What will happen to me if I take part?
If you choose to take part in the study, you will be presented with an online questionnaire, which should take no longer than 15-20 minutes to complete. You should explain your methods of data collection, including what the individual will be asked to do and how much time will be involved. This description should be general enough that the participant will not be surprised by the questions. If information is withheld, ask your supervisor what to put here.
What are the possible benefits or disadvantages of taking part?
There are no direct benefits of taking part in this study. However, we hope that you will find the questions interesting and that outcomes of this study will help to further develop research on this topic area. Other than the time you spend answering the questionnaire, there are no disadvantages of taking part in this study. Please edit if there are any other disadvantages or risks to the participants, such as induction of a sad mood. Outline any direct benefits for the individual. There are usually none to anyone other than the researcher for their dissertation but if appropriate mention that they might find the study interesting or the activity enjoyable. If the topic is sensitive then it is good practice to include some sources of support here as well as in the debrief.
Will what I say in this study be kept confidential?
Yes. You will not be asked to give any information that could be used to identify you personally (e.g., your name, date of birth, IP address). Confidentiality, privacy and anonymity will be ensured in the collection, storage and publication of research material (subject to legal limitations). Research data will be stored in Qualtrics and Google Drive, for which the University has security agreements, or Pavlovia (for which the privacy policies can be found here: https://pavlovia.org/docs/home/ethics), or uploaded to a repository so that it can be shared for teaching and research purposes.
What should I do if I want to take part?
If you would like to take part, please click on the Continue to Experiment button at the bottom of this page before proceeding.
What will happen to the results of the research study?
The results of this study will be written up and submitted as a piece of work to fulfil the requirements of a module at Oxford Brookes University. The results may also be published in an academic journal, presented at a conference or used for future research or teaching on the topic. OR The results of the research will be used in an undergraduate psychology dissertation. If a publication is planned, the data generated by the study will be retained by the supervisor in accordance with the University's policy on Academic Integrity and may be kept securely for a period of ten years after the completion of the research project. If no publication is proposed the data will be deleted in INSERT MONTH and YEAR.
Who has reviewed the study?
This research is being conducted by a Psychology student at Oxford Brookes University as part of the requirement for their course. The study procedures have been reviewed and approved by the Psychology Research Ethics Committee, Oxford Brookes University. If you have any concerns about how the study has been conducted, please contact the Psychology Research Ethics Officer, Dr Emma Davies, on edavies@brookes.ac.uk
Contact for Further Information
Please contact the researcher or their supervisor (contact details above) if you would like any further information about this study.
If you wish to obtain a summary of the findings when they have been written up please e-mail Taimaru at 19069366@brookes.ac.uk after 16/12/2021.
Thank you for taking time to read the information sheet.
Date 30/10/2021
