Plain Language Statement
School of Social and Political Sciences
Project: Setting an Agenda for Australian Death Studies (SAADS)
Project Supervisor:
Dr Hannah Gould (hannah.gould@unimelb.edu.au)
Additional Researchers:
Dr Kate Falconer (k.falconer@uq.edu.au)
Sam Weldon (Research Assistant) (sam.weldon@unimelb.edu.au)
Introduction
Thank you for your interest in participating in this research project. The following few pages will provide you with further information about the project, so that you can decide if you would like to take part.
Please take the time to read this information carefully. You may ask questions about anything you don’t understand or want to know more about.
Your participation is voluntary. If you don’t wish to take part, you don’t have to. If you begin participating, you can also stop at any time.
What is this research about?
The purpose of this research is to develop a consensus-based list of strategic priorities for future research into death and dying in Australia, from the perspective of scholars of the humanities, arts, and social sciences (HASS).
What will I be asked to do?
Should you agree to participate, you will be asked to take part in a Delphi Study and a Focus Group. You can choose to participate in the Delphi Study but not the Focus Group.
The goal of a Delphi Study is to develop and measure expert consensus in relation to a particular research question. It involves multiple rounds of questionnaires that build on the data collected in previous rounds.
The Delphi Study this project involves three rounds of online questionnaires. You are asked to participate in all rounds:
Questionnaire 1: Generating - September 2023 - 45 minutes
Questionnaire 2: Refining - October 2023- 45 minutes
Questionnaire 3: Ranking - November 2023 - 20 minutes
To prevent undue influence and cross-contamination of ideas amongst participants, all responses and participants are required to remain anonymous during the Delphi Study. If you agree to participate, you will be asked not to disclose your participation during the study period.
Following the Delphi Study, you will be invited to participate in an online Focus Group of no longer than one hour. You will be asked to reflect on the research method and the list of research priorities produced. If you wish to remain anonymous to other participants, you can instead choose to provide this feedback via email.
What are the possible benefits?
By participating in this research, you will contribute to developing a foundational understanding of the state of Australian Death Studies to date, as well as a map for future research. If you choose to be identified, you will be named as a member of the Expert Panel in all research publications.
What are the possible risks?
It is expected that there will be minimal risks to participation. If at any time the subject matter of the research becomes a cause of distress, you may suspend the task or withdraw your participation.
Do I have to take part?
No. Participation is completely voluntary. You are able to withdraw at any time. If you choose to withdraw, you can only withdraw data within the current round of the Delphi Study. Data that has been collected during previous rounds of the Delphi Study will be retained by the researchers. If you withdraw during the Focus Group, records of your contributions to the discussion will be deleted.
Will I hear about the results of this project?
You will be made aware of the results of this project via email and the project website. A copy of Research Priority List will be sent to you, along with any academic publications resulting from the project.
What will happen to information about me?
In any outputs arising from this research, you will be referred to by a pseudonym, unless you request to be identified by name on the Consent Form.
Your name and contact details will be kept in a password-protected computer file, separate from any data that you supply. Digital copies of the data collected in this research will be stored securely in a password-protected computer file and shared only with the researchers and research assistant. A summary record of the research data will be retained permanently as University Archives.
Is there any potential conflict of interest?
A conflict of interest may arise from your personal or professional relationship to the researchers. In order to mitigate this, any and all responses that you submit during the questionnaire rounds of the Delphi Study will be anonymised by the research assistant before they are seen by Researchers Gould and Falconer.
Where can I get further information?
If you would like more information about the project, please contact the researchers Dr Gould or Dr Falconer with the details above.
Who can I contact if I have any concerns about the project?
This project has human research ethics approval from The University of Melbourne [Project ID: 27044]. If you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of this research project, which you do not wish to discuss with the research team, you should contact the Research Integrity Administrator, Office of Research Ethics and Integrity, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010. Tel: +61 3 8344 1376 or Email: research-integrity@unimelb.edu.au. All complaints will be treated confidentially. In any correspondence please provide the name of the research team and/or the name or ethics ID number of the research project.