{"id":1539,"date":"2026-07-20T11:37:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T16:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/?page_id=1539"},"modified":"2026-07-20T11:54:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T16:54:58","slug":"project-information-for-participants","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/project-information-for-participants\/","title":{"rendered":"Project Information for Participants"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-modular-content-collection>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In order to give \u201cinformed\u201d consent to participate in a human subjects project, prospective participants<br \/>need to know a number of things about a proposed project and their anticipated role in it. Federal<br \/>regulations, as well as the <a href=\"http:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/files\/2013\/07\/EthicalPrinciplesAndApplications.pdf\">St. Olaf statement of ethical principles for Inquiries Involving People<\/a>, require<br \/>investigators to <strong>provide basic information about the project in an accurate and understandable<br \/>way<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/ohrp\/humansubjects\/guidance\/45cfr46.html#46.116\">[45 CFR 46.116(a)]<\/a>. This basic information is provided in a Project Information statement, which is<br \/>shared either verbally or (more often in writing) with each prospective participant before he or she<br \/>consents to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since you can inform your participants in a variety of ways (i.e., in a written Project Information<br \/>Statement, in the introductory paragraphs of a written questionnaire, in a verbal statement prior to an<br \/>interview, etc.) this worksheet, in its current form, does not need to be given to your participants.<br \/>Completing the worksheet will help you prepare the information you need to provide in whatever form<br \/>you provide it, and will ensure that the information tells the participants everything they need to know.<br \/>Your Project Information statement should include the following (even for projects with minimal risk):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your Project Information statement should include the following (even for projects with minimal risk):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><strong>Project purpose:<\/strong><\/em> Provide a brief explanation of the purposes of the project (which may include fulfillment of a course requirement for student projects).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Supervising faculty:<\/strong> If the project is being conducted by students, provide information to that<br \/>effect, along with the name and department of the faculty member under whose supervision<br \/>the project is being conducted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Procedures:<\/strong> Include a description of what the participants will be asked to do (complete a<br \/>questionnaire, participate in a focus group, taste food substances, answer oral questions, etc.)<br \/>and\/ or how information will be collected about them (weighing, specimen collection,<br \/>observation, etc.).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Costs to the participants:<\/strong> Write a description of likely costs, particularly the length of time<br \/>participants will be asked to commit to the project, or other inconveniences they may<br \/>experience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Risks to the participants:<\/strong> If the project involves more than <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/ohrp\/humansubjects\/guidance\/45cfr46.html#46.102\">minimal risk<\/a>, include a description of<br \/>any reasonably foreseeable risks or discomforts the participant may experience. If there are no<br \/>such risks or discomforts, no statement is necessary, although some investigators choose to<br \/>include a statement indicating that there are no risks or discomforts anticipated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Audiences for dissemination:<\/strong> Write a statement describing the audience(s) with whom project<br \/>results will or may be shared. (If you are not sure whether results will be shared outside St. Olaf,<br \/>you can use tentative language \u2013 \u201cResults may be shared at professional conferences or in<br \/>publications.\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Whether and to whom the participant\u2019s involvement in the project would be disclosed:<\/strong> If<br \/>participation in a project would be disclosed to any others (even if personally identifiable<br \/>information provided by the participant is not disclosed), write a statement describing such<br \/>disclosure. Many investigators include an assurance of non-disclosure if no disclosure is planned.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Whether the participant\u2019s information will be identifiable and if so, to whom:<\/strong> Participants need<br \/>to know whether anyone, including the investigator, will be able to determine who said or did<br \/>what, or who experienced what. If so, participants will need to know which others, and how<br \/>they will know (examining the original data? reading or listening to reports?). In general, project<br \/>information should include a version of one of the following statements about the identifiability<br \/>of the subject\u2019s information. <strong>Select the most appropriate statement from the list below and<br \/>apply it to your human subjects project.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>1. The participants will provide their information anonymously.<\/em> If data are collected with<br \/>no identifying information at all included with the participant\u2019s data, so that even the<br \/>investigator cannot link the participant\u2019s data to the participant\u2019s identity, then the<br \/>project statement should indicate that participants will provide their information<br \/>anonymously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>2. The participant\u2019s information will not be anonymous, but will be protected\/confidential.<\/em><br \/>This means that only the investigators and any affiliated researchers will be able to link<br \/>the identity of a participant to his or her data, and they promise not to disclose the<br \/>participants\u2019 identities or information that could be linked with the participants. If the<br \/>data collected from the participants include any identifying information (such as name,<br \/>ID number, social security number, etc.) or demographic information that, when<br \/>combined with other information, could permit participants to be identified, the project<br \/>statement should describe how the investigator will ensure that no one else will be able<br \/>to link the participant\u2019s identity to the participant\u2019s data. For example, the statement<br \/>could indicate that all potential identifiers will be removed when the data are collected<br \/>and\/or reported, or that no individual-level data, or data from small groups with<br \/>distinctive demographic features, will be reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>3. The participant\u2019s information will be identifiable to others, with the participant\u2019s<br \/>permission.<\/em> Some kinds of projects are designed so that participants\u2019 identities may be<br \/>disclosed to others, or linked with their information. In these cases, the project<br \/>information statement must indicate that clearly and explain how and why that is likely<br \/>to occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Project benefits:<\/strong> Include a description of any benefits to the participants (such as the chance to<br \/>reflect on important topics), and\/or to the wider community, which may reasonably be expected<br \/>from the project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Voluntary nature of initial decision to participate:<\/strong><i> <\/i>Write a statement stating that the participant<br \/>is free to choose to participate, or not to participate, in the project, and that the participant will<br \/>not be penalized or lose any benefits to which the he or she may otherwise be entitled if the<br \/>subject chooses not to participate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Voluntary nature of continued participation:<\/strong> Include a statement that the participant is free to<br \/>discontinue participation at any time over the course of the project, or to participate only in part<br \/>(e.g., by choosing not to answer selected questions), even after having initially consented to<br \/>participate, without any penalty or loss of benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">Investigator contact information:<\/strong> Finally, you must include complete contact information (name,<br \/>telephone, email address at a minimum) for the investigator and, if appropriate, the<br \/>investigator\u2019s supervisor, for questions or concerns about the project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have questions regarding your rights as a research subject, you may contact the St. Olaf<br \/>College Institutional Review Board at <a href=\"mailto:irb-administrator@stolaf.edu\">irb-administrator@stolaf.edu<\/a>. You may also contact the<br \/>Institutional Review Board about any problems, complaints, or concerns you may have about<br \/>this research study.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In order to give \u201cinformed\u201d consent to participate in a human subjects project, prospective participantsneed to know a number of things about a proposed project and their anticipated role in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10608,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_spp_custom_css":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-1539","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10608"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1539"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1575,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1539\/revisions\/1575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/irb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}