University of Dundee School Research Ethics Committee Application/Approval Number: UoD-SHSL-GEO-PG-2023-173
Before you decide whether or not you would like to leave your contact details it is important that you read the information provided below. This will help you to understand why and how the research is being carried out and what participation will involve. Please let the researcher who gave you this information know if anything is unclear or you have any questions.
Who is conducting the research?
The research is being carried out by Ruth Bickerton (PhD student – 080013066@dundee.ac.uk).The research is being carried out as part of PhD research looking at ‘Inequalities of Bereavement and Funerals – Social, Spatial and Spend’. It is the same research as for the survey from which you are being directed.
This section of the research seeks to explore in more detail how people who organised funerals made their decisions about what to do, how this was reflected in the finances and payment for the funeral, and whether this influenced the person’s overall experiences and well-being at the time of the bereavement.
Why have I been invited to take part?
You have been invited to take part because you have clicked on the link to participate in the survey. It is requested that you have been the organiser of a funeral in the last five years, and that the funeral was for a person over the age of 18. It is also requested that you yourself are over the age of 18.
Do I have to take part?
Taking part is entirely voluntary and there is no obligation to be involved. You may decide to withdraw from the study at any time without explanation or penalty. If you would like to withdraw from the study, please let me know by email as soon as you are able, using 080013066@dundee.ac.uk.
What will happen if I take part?
You are invited to leave your contact details. This is to volunteer for a personal interview to discuss your funeral-organising experience in more detail. The interview would last roughly an hour and would be with the researcher, Ruth Bickerton, either in person, online or by telephone. You will be contacted in the next few weeks to see if you are still willing to take part, and to organise a convenient time.
Are there any risks in taking part?
There are no known risks for participants in the study, although if you decide you would not like to continue in this survey at any time, please just close this survey and do not submit the results.
If you would like to talk to someone about your bereavement, further support is available from The Samaritans (phone: 116123, free 24-hour helpline) and Cruse Bereavement Care (phone: 0808 8081677, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm). Information can also be found from the NHS website: Get help with grief after bereavement or loss - NHS (www.nhs.uk) and Widowed and Young (WAY) website: https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk/join-way/
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
The research will investigate financial and well-being impacts of arranging a funeral, feeding into a PhD thesis about inequalities of funerals. This potentially could be used to write academic papers and may form part of the written-up thesis. It will also feed into policy recommendations to be suggested at focus groups at later stages of the research process, which could be a positive benefit to society.
Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?
If you choose to leave your personal details, these will be kept confidential. The research team alone will have access to the personal data.
What will happen to the information I provide?
Your details will be kept in a password-protected system until we contact you and potentially carry out an interview. Once the interviews have been conducted, pseudonymysed and transcribed, your personal details will be labelled with a code and the personal information submitted to this survey will be deleted.
Data Protection
The personal data that will be collected and processed in this study are your name, email address, phone number and postcode.
There is no special category (sensitive personal) data to be collected.
The University asserts that it lawful for it to process your personal data in this project as the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
The University of Dundee is the data controller for the personal and/or special categories of personal data processed in this project.
The University respects your rights and preferences in relation to your data and if you wish to update, access, erase, or limit the use of your information, please let me know by emailing 080013066@dundee.ac.uk. Please note that some of your rights may be limited where personal data is processed for research, but we are happy to discuss that with you. If you wish to complain about the use of your information please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer in the first instance (email: dataprotection@dundee.ac.uk). You may also wish to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (https://ico.org.uk/).
You can find more information about the ways that personal data is used at the University at: https://www.dundee.ac.uk/information-governance/dataprotection/.
Is there someone else I can complain to?
If you wish to complain about the way the research has been conducted please contact the Convener of the University Research Ethics Committee (https://www.dundee.ac.uk/research/ethics/contacts/).
Alternative formats
If required, the Participant Information Sheet can be made available in alternative formats. Please let us know if this is required and we will organise this for you.