Participant Information Sheet
uPcycle Project
Version dated 04/06/2024
Introduction
We would like to invite you to take part in The uPcycle Project. Taking part in the project (by attending a workshop or joing the community of practice for example) is voluntary and your decision. To help you decide you need to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve from you. One of our team can go through this information sheet with you, and answer any questions you may have. Please ask questions if anything you read is not clear or you would like more information. {Please feel free to talk to others about the project if you wish. Take time to decide whether or not to take part.}
What is the purpose of the study?
The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), UNEP, GEF and Chilean Ministry of Environment are conducting research that by focusing on lakes, aims to deliver ecosystem recovery through reducing phosphorus emissions from land to water and fostering a practice of sustainable phosphorus use. By taking part in the workshops you will be assisting the bringing together of global sustainable phosphorus management communities and by completing the personal information survey you will be supporting the gender mainstreaming of the project which is a requirement of all UNEP projects. Participants may get involved in a number of ways, they may attend a workshops/meeting/field trip or perhaps sign up to one of the project’s working groups.
Why have I been asked/offered the opportunity to take part?
You have been invited to take part in an uP-Cycle Project workshops/working group due to your unique knowledge and/or insights. Your valuable contributions will significantly contribute to the project's comprehensive understanding of the workshop/working group subject.
Do I have to take part?
No. Participating in this research project is voluntary, and entirely your decision/choice. If you do not want to take part, that is ok.
We, the research team, will discuss the project with you and give you a copy of this information sheet. If you agree to take part. You will be asked to provide consent when providing personal data.
What will happen to me if I take part; what will I have to do?
Your involvement will depend on which working group or workshop you participate in, however we will ask you to fill out a short survey will ask you about your age, ethnicity and gender identity. This is for the purpose of reporting on gender (and demographic) representation of the workshops and you do not need to provide this information to take part. Any personal information will be stored securely and any sensitive information will not be identifiable as yours as your name will not be attached, instead a unique code will be used. Any data reported or presented to partners or publicly will be anonymised.
Secondly your invitation to a workshop entails you attending (virtually or in-person) and completing a short survey afterwards enquiring into your opinions of the effectiveness of the workshop. Additionally, we may collect additional information for the purpose of the workshop/working group (e.g. opinions/experience on sustainable phosphorus methods) via survey, or informal interview or workshop.
What are the possible risks and disadvantages?
There are no risks envisaged for taking part in an uP-Cycle workshop/working group. The demographic survey includes questions about your age, nationality, ethnicity and gender identity which some participants may find sensitive. There is a ‘prefer not to say’ option for those who do not wish to disclose this information.
What are the possible benefits?
We cannot promise the study will help you but the information we get from the study will help our knowledge and understanding sustainable use of phosphorus and the protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems.
What if something goes wrong?
If you have a concern about any aspect of this study, you should ask to speak to the researchers who will do their best to answer your questions. The main point of contact is Issy Lewis, isslew@ceh.ac.uk.
If you remain unhappy and wish to complain formally, you can do this by contacting the <UK Research Ethics Committee ukcehresearchethics@ceh.ac.uk or other approving ethics committee, and the PI (Bryan Spears: spear@ceh.ac.uk.)
Can I change my mind about taking part? - How to withdraw my data from the project
Yes. You can withdraw from the research project at any time. You just need to tell the research team by contacting Issy Lewis; isslew@ceh.ac.uk and request for your data to be deleted. Your data can be deleted upon request, however any data that has already been anonymised and reported will not be able to be removed.
What will happen to information collected about me?
We will need to use information about you for this research project. All information collected about you will be kept securely. Only necessary members of the research team will be allowed to look at personal information about you and only 2 members of the research team will be able to access sensitive data about you (gender identity, ethnicity etc.) to ensure anonymised reports are correct. Any data collected from you from the workshops/working groups about the effectiveness of the workshops and opinions on the sustainable use of phosphorous may be used to create reports, in an anonymised form, that will be available to the project partners as well as published on our website.
Information about you may include you’re:
- name
- contact details - email
- age group
- gender identity
- ethnicity
- nationality
- organisation/job title
- Opinions on sustainable phosphorus management or effectiveness of project workshops (for example)
We will keep all information about you safe and secure.
Any un-anonymised data from your or your personal information will be stored securely in a password protected form with limited access. The data will be deleted at the closure of the project.
It may be that relevant project team members from organisations outside of UKCEH will be granted to you your personal data (e.g. name and email) but this will only be the case when completely necessary for the project, and all partner organisations go through a strict due-diligence process before UKCEH invites them to join the uPcycle team. All sensitive information (e.g. gender identity, ethnicity etc.) will not be accessed by members outside of UKCEH.
Non-personal and anonymised data may be sent to other study staff in partner organizations. They must follow our rules about keeping your information safe>.
Please see below for explanation
Where data has been anonymised, the original information will be securely deleted to prevent any reversing of the 'anonymisation' process. In most cases, if this deletion does not take place, then the data is classified as 'pseudonymised' rather than 'anonymised', and, is still considered personal data.
Full personal data is simply using the details gathered for the project with no omissions.
In all three cases personal data should be kept to a minimum.
Your personal details, meaning your name and other identifiable information, will be kept in a different safe place to the other study information and will be destroyed within at the closure of the project.
Anonymised data in reports will be archived with UKCEH (and UNEP for 3 years) and may be available to other researchers.
{At the end of the project, the anonymised study data will be archived included in reports and may be archived in UKCEH IT Systems. The data may be made available to other researchers (anonymised) online through the project website. Your personal information will not be included and there is no way that you can be identified.}
What are your choices about how your information is used?
You can stop being part of the study at any time, without giving a reason, but we will keep information about you that we already have collected up to your withdrawal that has been included in project materials
Where can you find out more about how your information is used?
You can find out more about how we use your information
· At: https://www.ceh.ac.uk/contributors-ceh-science-public-interest OR https://www.ceh.ac.uk/contributors-ceh-science-funded-through-competitively-won-income
· by asking one of the research team (Issy Lewis: isslew@ceh.ac.uk)
· by sending an email to the Principle Investigator, Bryan Spears: spear@ceh.ac.uk
What will happen to the results of this study?
The research results will be published in journals and reports and on the project website. Your personal information will not be included in the reports and there is no way that you can be identified from these.
Who is organising and funding this study?
{GEF} is the funder of this research project; UKCEH is the overall project lead for the research sponsor and they have full responsibility for the project including the collection, storage and analysis of your data, and will act as the Data Controller for the study. This means that we are responsible for looking after your information and using it properly. UKCEH
Who has reviewed this study?
All research involving human participants is looked at by an independent group of people, called a Research Ethics Committee, to protect your interests. This study has been reviewed and given favourable opinion by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Human Research Ethics Committee (UKCEH-HREC)}.
Further information and contact details
Thank you for taking time to read this information sheet. If you think you will take part in the research please inform of us of your consent to take part, please select ‘yes’ to the consent question at the end of the survey you have received.
If you would like any further information, please contact Issy Lewis (isslew@ceh.ac.uk) who can answer any questions you may have about the project.