Survey research may qualify for exemption or expedited review. Be sure to review the “Is REC Review Needed?” and “Categories of Review” pages for more information on determining the level of review needed.
Note that, when the signed consent would be the only identifiable component of the research, it may be acceptable to alter the consent document such that participants names and signatures are not collected and are instead replaced with check boxes at the beginning of the online survey indicating adherence to any protocol specific inclusion criteria (e.g. at least 18 years of age, etc.), understanding of the consent document and agreeing to participate. Please see the survey consent template under Forms & Templates.
Online survey research must be conducted through the University QuestionPro account. Any deviation from question pro must be accompanied by sufficient rationale for its necessity and explanation of its security features to ensure participant privacy and / or confidentiality. Likewise, the use of free survey software programs will not be permitted due to the lack of privacy and confidentiality features offered by free programs.
The Spalding University QuestionPro account can be located here: https://spalding.questionpro.com/
Please note that, unless specifically needed per your research protocol, it is recommended that you check the option in QuestionPro to remove or not collect IP addresses and use the respondent anonymity assurance if possible.
Be sure to include a downloadable version of the consent form at the beginning of the QuestionPro survey such that participants will have access to the investigator and REC contact information as well as any included resources available to them in the event they want to access that information prior to completing the survey.