What's This Skull?

Research Information Statement

Key Information:

• This project is studying the creation of an identification guide to the skulls of Kansas mammals.
• Your participation in this research project is completely voluntary.
• Your participation will take 5 to 10 minutes.
• You will be asked to do the following procedures: use the guide to identify a mammal skull, then complete a survey to report your correctness, time taken to identification, user satisfaction, and feedback.
• This project has no risks or discomforts.
• This project has no benefits to you as a subject, but your participation will help improve the finished guide.
• Your alternative to participating in this research study is not to participate.

Introduction:

As a master’s student in the University of Kansas’s Department of Museum Studies, I am conducting a research project about creating an identification guide to the skulls of Kansas mammals for use by the public. I would like you to test the guide so that I can improve its usability before publication. You will be asked to use the guide to identify a real mammal skull selected at random. Afterwards, you will be asked to take a short survey where you will record your correctness, your time taken to identification, and your satisfaction with the guide. The survey will also ask for optional feedback on improving the guide. Your participation is expected to take about 5 to 10 minutes. Your participation is completely voluntary, and you may discontinue involvement at any time.

Participation should cause no more discomfort than you would experience in your everyday life. Although participation may not benefit you directly, the information obtained from the study will help us create a better identification guide. No personally identifiable information will be collected, and the data from this study will not be shared.

Participation in the test indicates your willingness to take part in this study and that you are at least 18 years old. Should you have any questions about this project or your participation in it you may ask me, Rebecca Hawkins, or my faculty supervisor, Dr. Jocelyn Colella, Curator of Mammals at the Biodiversity Institute and Assistant Professor in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department at KU. Our emails are rebecca.hawkins@ku.edu and colella@ku.edu. If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, you may call the Human Research Protection Program at (785) 864-7429 or email irb@ku.edu.

Sincerely,