Section 4
Consent for Anonymous Questionnaires
Many projects use anonymous questionnaires returned by mail, drop-box locations or via the Internet. The researcher who is using an anonymous questionnaire may fulfill the requirements of informed consent by providing the subject with a cover letter or set of instructions about the project. The cover letter or set of instructions must contain, at minimum, the following:
- 1. The name of the student conducting the project and the name of the faculty sponsor and his/her academic division
- 2. The purpose of the project
- 3. A description of what the subject's participation will involve, and the duration of the project
- 4. The possible benefit to the subject
- 5. An explanation of how anonymity will be maintained
- 6. A teletphone number where the faculty sponsor and student, if appropriate, can be reached if the subject has questions.
Retaining and Storing Signed Informed Consent Documents
Signed informed consent forms are legal documents, and the researcher has legal respondibilities in handling them. They should be stored in a secure location which is accessible to the university in the event that an inquiry should require an examination of them. Access to these documents should be limited to those persons who have a need to know their contents, ordinarily the investigator, co-investigators, a representative of the IRB (typically the chair), the IRB administrator on behalf of the University, and authorized federal officials. In compliance with federal regulations, consent documents must be retained for a preiod of five years following the completion of the research.
