May 2023
Our PhD student from Turkey, Fatma Betul Kula, is conducting a research study on misophonia and hyperacusis. Take part by completing several short questionnaires!
Click here to take part in the study.
We would like to invite you to participate in this research project. You should only participate if you want to. Not taking part will not disadvantage you in any way. Before you decide to take part, it is important that you read this information sheet and understand why the research is being done and what your participation will involve. If you have any questions, you can contact us using the contact details at the end of this information sheet.
What is the purpose of the study?
We are assessing sensitivity to sound questionnaires. We will also ask you to report on your demographics, such as your age, sex assigned at birth, education level, ethnic group etc. You will also be asked eleven different questionnaires to fill out for this study.
Who is responsible for this study?
This research is part of a PhD project based at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. It is the responsibility of Fatma Betul Kula. She is being supervised by Prof Mark Cropley and Dr Hashir Aazh. She will analyse the data.
Why have I been invited to take part?
You have been invited to participate in this study because you are at least 18 years old, and fluently speak English. You may have heard about this study online and chosen to show interest.
Do I have to take part?
Participation is voluntary, and you do not have to take part. We will describe the study in this information sheet, and after you have read this, you can decide whether you wish to take part. Please contact us if anything is not clear, if you have any questions, or if you would like more information.
What will happen if I decide to take part?
If you decide to take part after reading this information sheet, you will be asked to confirm your agreement to participate using an online consent form. Next, you will be asked to create a unique Identification Code (UIC), which will be used to locate your data in the event you decide to withdraw your responses. You will be required to create your own unique code (something you can remember, the first two letters of your mother’s first name, the last two letters of your mother’s last name, and your full birth date). When you complete the two steps of this study, you could be invited for an interview. This short interview is also voluntary; you do not have to participate even if you have completed these two study steps. If you choose to have your data removed, please send an email to f.kula@surrey.ac.uk with your Unique Identification Code, stating you would like to have your data removed. Please remember that one week after your submission of your second set of questionnaires, your UIC will be deleted; after this, it will not be possible to withdraw from the study as your responses will be fully anonymised, making it impossible to locate your data.
After this, you will then be redirected to a demographic questionnaire to complete; this will ask for age, sex assigned at birth, education level, and ethnic group. You will also be asked eleven different questionnaires to fill out for this study. There are no right or wrong answers, and I am only looking to understand to assess sensitivity to sound questionnaires. Incomplete responses to the survey questions will result in your answers not being used for the research.
The eleven questionnaires will be completed, and it should not take more than 15 minutes to complete.
What happens if I do not want to take part or if I change my mind?
You are free to withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason.
Are there any potential risks involved?
A possible disadvantage is that you may be tired of taking part in the study. If you decide to take part in the study, please complete eleven short questionnaires at a time that is convenient for you, where you are relaxed and without distractions.
Are there any benefits of taking part?
As a thank you for your time, you will have the option to be entered into a prize draw to win one of four £25 Amazon vouchers.
How is the project being funded?
This research is being funded by the National Education of the Republic of Turkey.
Will my participation be kept confidential?
We are responsible for making sure your participation is kept confidential, and any data is kept secure and used only in the way described in this information sheet.
Your information may be subject to review for monitoring and audit purposes by individuals from the University of Surrey and/or regulators who will treat your data in confidence.
Will my data be shared or used in future research studies?
We would like your permission to share the anonymised, de-identified data on an open science framework, where it will be shared with other researchers. This is not a requirement to take part in the study, and not giving permission will not affect you and your participation in any way.
What will happen to the results of the study?
The results of this study will make part of the researcher’s final PhD Thesis. We may also produce a report summarising the main findings for publication in a trade journal and presentations. You can contact the study team to find out the results of the research by sending an email to f.kula@surrey.ac.uk
Who has reviewed this study?
This research has been reviewed by an independent group of people called an Ethics Committee. This study was reviewed and given a favourable ethical opinion by the University of Surrey Ethics Committee.
Section: Your personal data
What is personal data?
‘Personal Data’ means any information that identifies you as an individual. We will be collecting and using some of your personal data that are relevant to completing the study, and this section describes what that means.
The information that we will collect will include your sex assigned at birth, age, and level of education, which are considered ‘personal data’. We will also collect data on your ethnicity as a ‘special category personal data’. We will use this information as explained above in this information sheet.
All forms of personal data you provide us with are anonymised and stored confidentially and securely in a password-protected University of Surrey folder.
Who is handling my personal data?
The University of Surrey, which has the legal responsibility for managing the personal data in this study, will act as the ‘Data Controller for this study. The research team will process your personal data on behalf of the controller and are responsible for looking after your information and using it properly.
What will happen to my personal data?
As a publicly funded organisation, we have to ensure that when we use identifiable personal information from people who have agreed to take part in research, this data is processed fairly and lawfully. The University of Surrey processes personal data for the purposes of carrying out research in the public interest, and special category data is processed on an additional condition necessary for research purposes. This means that when you agree to take part in this research study, we will use and look after your data in the ways needed to achieve the outcomes of the study.
Your personal data will be held and processed in the strictest confidence and in accordance with current data protection regulations. When acting as the data controller, the University will keep identifiable information about you for two years after the study has finished, after which time any identifiers will be removed from the aggregated research data.
Your rights to access, change or move your information are limited, as we need to manage your information in specific ways in order for the research to be reliable and accurate. You will be able to withdraw your data from the study up to 1 week after completing the second set of questionnaires. After this, UICs will be deleted, and it will be impossible to locate your responses. We will keep and use the minimum amount of personally identifiable information about you that we have already obtained in order to complete the study.
The Research Team consists of Fatma Kula (PhD student), Prof Mark Cropley and Dr Hashir Aazh (Supervisors).
If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data in a way that is not lawful, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) (https://ico.org.uk/).
If you wish to complain about how we have handled your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer, who will investigate the matter (dataprotection@surrey.ac.uk).
You can find out more about how we use your information https://www.surrey.ac.uk/information-management/data-protection and/or by contacting dataprotection@surrey.ac.uk .
Section: Further information
What if you have a query or something goes wrong?
If you are unsure about something, you can contact the research team for further advice using the contact details at the bottom of this information sheet.
However, if your query has not been handled to your satisfaction, or if you are unhappy and wish to make a formal complaint to someone independent of the research team, then please contact:
Research Integrity and Governance Office (RIGO)
Research and Innovation Services
University of Surrey
Senate House, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH
Phone: +44 (0)1483 689110
Email: rigo@surrey.ac.uk
The University has in place the relevant insurance policies which apply to this study. If you wish to complain or have any concerns about any aspect of the way you have been treated during the course of this study, then you should follow the instructions given above.
Who should I contact for further information?
If you have any questions or require more information about this study, please contact the research team using the following contact details:
Fatma Betul Kula
Postgraduate Researcher
University of Surrey
f.kula@surrey.ac.uk
Dr Hashir Aazh
Visiting Research Fellow of Engineering and Physical Sciences
University of Surrey
h.aazh@surrey.ac.uk
Prof. Mark Cropley
Professor of Health Psychology
University of Surrey
Mark.cropley@surrey.ac.uk
Thank you for reading this information sheet and for considering taking part in this research.
