With anonymous surveys, however, it is not possible for participants to withdraw later, because you won’t be able to identify specific responses.

Research participants have the option to withdraw at any time, even after their activities have ended.In the “What happens to the information collected for the research?” section of the consent document, include the statement: “While we will make every effort to limit the use and disclosure of personal information only to people who have a need to review this information, we cannot promise complete confidentiality.” You can find more information about consent form or information template wording from the Human Research Protections Program Website. Therefore, be certain to include a statement that through the use of the survey tool that confidentiality cannot be promised. While you need to use a secure platform and protect responses, you cannot absolutely control third-party access during transmission.Once approved, you will insert the consent form or information sheet as the survey’s first page at the site. Submit your consent form or information sheet in protocol management as a separate document. The consent form or information sheet should appear as the first screen after the participants click an emailed web link, scan a QR code, etc.Below are a few elements to consider when developing consent forms and information sheets: Since web-based surveys differ from traditional, paper-based surveys, consent forms and information sheets must be adjusted to fit the method. Will you send the participant a physical gift card, which would require an identifiable address? Will you create a second survey for the entry of participant information for compensation so that the personal information will not link to their survey responses? If offering compensation, consider if the method you selected identifies individual participants.If you do not need to track if a specific individual responds to the link, use a general link. Describe whether you will create one general survey link to send to all subjects from your personal email account, or if you will email the survey through the QuestionPro platform, where individual survey links will be created and tracked.Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are standard security technologies for encryption between a web server and a browser. Explain the platform’s security levels and settings to protect data during transmission.Because QuestionPro might collect a participant's IP address by default, explain why you need this identifier, or that you will disable the feature if not necessary for your research. An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a unique, potentially identifying number assigned to every networked device. Provide the name of the system and the setting that may impact the privacy of the data. You can find more information on the Virginia Tech guidelines for personal information from the Virginia Tech IT Security Office website. Personal health information (including but not limited to HIPAA-protected data).Biometric identifiers (fingerprint, iris scan, palm print, ear lobe map, etc.).Banking information (account/routing detail).Credit card/procurement card information.University or health identification number.Researchers must comply with the Virginia Tech standards and guidelines when collecting the personal identifiers listed below. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).Section 508 (US Federal Accessibility Guidelines).Payment Card Industry’s Data Security Standards (PCI - DSS).Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).QuestionPro has features that allow surveys to meet privacy requirements of:

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