On this page you will find information about ethical considerations you should make when using collecting participant data using surveys and what to do if you want to request new software.
When collecting data from research participants you must still obtain the appropriate ethical approval and include the participant information sheet and informed consent questions at the start of the survey, before participants progress to the survey questions. You must set up the survey so that it captures a record of the participant's acknowledgement that they provide informed consent to continue.
When using online tools or apps to collect identifiable data from research participants, you must ensure that the tool you use complies with data protection legislation. This includes ensuring that the data are held on servers that comply with the Data Protection legislation of the country in which you are working, collecting and storing the data, and restricting who has access to them. Depending on the platform used, you may also be required to set up a data sharing agreement, to cover transfer of personal data to a third party.
There are a number of secure tools to capture data from research participants. For more information, please visit the Research Governance and Compliance team's guidance on Data collection: using online survey tools.
There is a range of research software available at the University and a guide for those who want to access online courses to learn a range of programming, data analysis and data visualisation languages and platforms. If you require a new piece of software to conduct your research or collect information from research participants, you will need to ensure that it is compliant with data protection legislation. Please note that this does not apply to commonly used software such as Qualtrics, REDCap, Online Surveys, Teams, or NVivo.
You would also need to provide a justified explanation as to why the current provision does not meet your requirements, and why you are unable to adapt your methodology to the software already available.
All requests for new software should be submitted to Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT), who will check whether the software meets licensing, accessibility, and data protection requirements. Requests should be submitted using the Request Software Licence form. If the direct URL does not work, it can also be found via the Self Service Portal and then following Computing and Telephony > Software > Request Software Licence. On the form, please tick the box for a new licence in order to load the form, and then complete the required fields.
In the 'Brief description' box, please highlight that you intend to use the software to collect personal data from research participants, and that you therefore need to have the software checked for compliance with data protection legislation.
To save the IT Security Team from having to search for the information they need to conduct your reviews, please also provide the following information in the 'Brief description' box:
IT Security Team are extremely busy and are therefore unlikely to have capacity to review new software with similar features to software already provided by the University. You would need to provide a justified explanation as to why the current provision does not meet your requirements, and why you are unable to adapt your methodology to the software already available.
