Information Sheet for Participants

Principal Investigators: Professor Tommy J. Curry, Dr Nicola Frith, Professor Nasar Meer

Researcher collecting data: Dr Yarong Xie

What is this document? 

This document explains what kind of study we are doing, what your rights are, and what will be done with your data. You should keep this page for your records. After you read this, continue to the next page.

Nature of the study.

You are about to participate in a study that captures the current racial climate on campus. This study is part of a decolonisation and reparatory justice project looking at issues of race, contemporary racism, Eurocentric and Afriphobic aspects of our curriculum and features of the University’s historical links to slavery and colonialism. This work is being conducted within the timeframe of the UN International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-24) and in the wake of calls by grassroots communities of reparatory justice interest, students-led organisations and scholar-activists for higher education institutions to begin repairing the harms caused by colonialism, slavery, and their legacies today.

To read more about the project, please visit https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/decolonise/

What would I be asked to do if I took part?

You will be invited to complete an online questionnaire, which can also be done in person or via Teams/Zoom call, if requested.

You will be asked to read statements carefully and indicate the degree to which you agree or disagree with each statement. At the end of the questionnaire, we also have some questions about you (e.g., how you identify yourself in terms of race/ethnicity, your role and time spent in the University and your affiliated School/Department, etc.). Your responses will be recorded. The questionnaire will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

Compensation.

Your participation is primarily voluntary. However, we will reward the first 250 participants with a £5 gift e-voucher. To claim the compensation, you will need to enter your email address on a separate form. The link to the form will be provided at the end of the questionnaire.

Given the limited numbers of vouchers, we encourage paid staff members to opt out and give the opportunity to students.

Risks and benefits.

The subjects discussed in this study may contain a degree of sensitivity.

You are therefore strongly advised to complete the questionnaire on your personal electronic device, using a private and secure network, and in a relatively private and safe environment (e.g. your accommodation or office).

During the completion of the survey, if you feel unduly distressed as a result of being reminded of unpleasant experiences, you are advised to stop the questionnaire and withdraw from the study immediately. We recommend that you reach out to professional services within and outside of the University for wellbeing and mental health supports. Some of these include (click for more information):

• Student Counselling Service
• Nightline
• The University Listening Service
• The Samaritans offers a 24-hour helpline, which is free to call on 116 123

You may find more information on the external specialist services here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-counselling/other-services-external-organisations/specialist-services

https://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/adviceplace/wellbeing/mentalhealth/yourmentalhealth

Taking part in this study will not affect your employment status or degree attainment.

There are no tangible benefits to you, however you will be contributing to our knowledge about, and ongoing assessment of, the racial climate of the University at present and in the long run.

Confidentiality and use of data.

All the information we collect during the course of the research will be processed in accordance with Data Protection Act 2018. In order to safeguard your privacy, we will never share personal information (like names or dates of birth) with anyone outside the research team. Your data will be stored anonymously, using a unique participant number. We will store any personal data (e.g., signed forms) using the University of Edinburgh’s secure encrypted storage service, DataStore. Directly identifiable information, such as your consent form, will only be accessed by the research team.

Your email, if you opted in to receive vouchers, will be collected and stored independently from the questionnaire responses, and used only for the purpose of distributing vouchers.

All data collected during this study will be used anonymously for research purposes only. With your permission, the outcomes of the research will contribute to the overall review, entitled ‘Decolonised Transformations: Confronting the UoE’s Legacies of Enslavement and Colonialism’, which will be made publicly available. Your anonymised survey responses may be used for secondary analysis and published in prospective reports.

What are my data protection rights?

The University of Edinburgh is a Data Controller for the information you provide.  You have the right to access information held about you. Your right of access can be exercised in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. You also have other rights including rights of correction, erasure and objection. For more details, including the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office, please visit www.ico.org.uk. Questions, comments and requests about your personal data can also be sent to the University Data Protection Officer at dpo@ed.ac.uk.

Voluntary participation and right to withdraw.

Your participation is voluntary and you may withdraw from the study at any time and for any reason. If you withdraw from the study during data gathering, we will delete your data permanently and there is no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.

Your anonymised survey responses might have already been processed and analysed beyond the data collection period (31 May 2024). In the circumstance of your withdrawing after the data collection period, your personal data (i.e. consent form) will be destroyed permanently, but the processed and analysed survey data (i.e. in the form of statistical representations) will not be removable.

If you have any questions about what you’ve just read, please feel free to contact the researcher. You can contact the researcher via email at xyarong@ed.ac.uk. This project has been approved by PPLS Ethics committee. If you have questions or comments regarding your rights as a participant, please contact the School Research Ethics Convenor at ppls.rec@ed.ac.uk.

If you have any questions about what you’ve just read, please feel free to ask them now.

If you require this document in an alternative format, such as an audible version, in large print or a coloured background, or prefer to complete the questionnaire in person, please contact Dr Yarong Xie xyarong@ed.ac.uk

When you are ready to take part, click here to give consent and access the questionnaire.

Questionnaire 1: Understanding the Present Racial Climate in UoE / Decolonised Transformations by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0