Mar 22 2009
Hoop jumping - ethics in research
What a frustrating activity this is!
I have already finished the 17 page application for consideration of my research project by the Ethics board… that was truly fun too, given that the form is a pdf and while you can type in it, you can’t SAVE it, so you have to do it right in one sitting - and then retype any pages your supervisor modifies (only 1 in my case, but still).
Now I am working on the 2 draft consent forms that need to go with it - it has to be submitted this week or there is no way that I’ll get approval back in time to actually DO the research I need doing.
The consent forms are irksome.
There is a lot that has to go into them, even if it really does not apply to my particular research project, which many of them really don’t.
And the hardest part of all is that according to the guidelines, it has to be written in language that scores no higher than the 9th grade reading level.
You try writing about university level research and not coming off sounding either as incapable of DOING university level research or condescending!!!
It wouldn’t be so bad except that I know that someday I am going to have to give this form to people I want to interview - I would rather it not be something I am embarassed by.
My first draft was at 14.8 on the Flesch-Kincaid grade level score…. now it’s down to 11.4…. but still got to find a way to dumb it down simplify it 2 more grade levels worth. ICK!
Isn’t that a sad reflection of reality?
pretty much finished with the consents, although I haven’t printed them yet… will have one more look before I do that; see if I can dumb em down any more.
The internet survey one, because it will be anonymous, i.e. no names/identifying information kept, is quite a bit simpler than the other, so it wasn’t too bad to get it down there… still could drop a bit in terms of difficulty on t’other