Evaluación y métricas

Researcher: Leif Isaksen Ethics number: E/10/05/002

Please read this information carefully before deciding to take part in this research. If you are happy to participate you will be asked to sign a consent form.

What is the research about?

My name is Leif Isaksen and I am conducting research for a PhD thesis on the use of Semantic technologies to publish archaeological data. This survey is intended to establish how and why semantic technologies have been used in previous cultural heritage projects and compare the perceptions of those who have used them. The results will also be evaluated in comparison with Semantic Web ‘success stories’ outside the Cultural Heritage sector. It is intended that the results will provide a useful baseline from which myself and others can develop semantic systems that specifically address the needs of the sector. This research is being paid for by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and is sponsored by the University of Southampton.

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Why have I been chosen?

As a member of a previous or ongoing project that has utilised semantic technologies to publish data, you are able to provide important perspectives on the merits of semantic technologies. I would like you, and potentially a colleague on the same project but with a different specialism, to describe the approach taken and assess its value to the project.

What will happen to me if I take part?

If you consent to take part you will be asked to provide your name and that of a project you have participated in. This information will be held securely on a Southampton university server and separately from the survey data under the terms of the Data Protection Act. You will then be given an identifying code and directed to the online questionnaire at surveymonkey.com (details of the questions you will be asked can be found on a PDF file accompanying this information sheet).

Subject to your additional consent, I may contact you by email with some follow-up questions or ask to identify the project as an illustrative case study for my PhD thesis.

All personal details and project details (i.e. those provided on the consent form) will be deleted on completion of the PhD)

Are there any benefits in my taking part?

There are no personal advantages (inducements) to be gained from taking part, but the overall results of the survey will be made available to the wider cultural heritage community and this is likely to be of help to those considering the adoption of such technologies in future.

Are there any risks involved?

There are no personal risks involved but you will be asked to candidly assess the costs and benefits of the approach taken by your project. Differences of opinion between people reporting on the same project are possible and while project and personal details will be anonymised it is impossible to rule out any possibility of identification. If, for any reason, you do not feel that an honest appraisal is possible under these circumstances, please do not consent to the survey. Do feel free, however, to contact me separately as it may be possible to incorporate information in the final report under stricter terms of confidentiality. You are also free to leave any question unanswered that you feel either unwilling or unqualified to respond to.

Will my participation be confidential?

Any personally identifying information provided by you will be held in accordance with the Data Protection Act and University policy on a password-protected computer at the University of Southampton. It will be deleted on completion of my PhD (October 2011 at the latest). Association of the details with the survey data will be by means of an identifying codename. All possible measures will be taken to ensure anonymity in publication, but as a colleague who worked/works on the same project may also be taking part, it is impossible to guarantee complete anonymity. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act you can request a full copy of all information held about you as a result of this survey by contacting the ECS School Office and citing the above ethics number: Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom. Email: [email protected].

What happens if I change my mind?

You are able to withdraw or amend your data at any time and for any reason prior to submission of the thesis without your legal rights being affected in any way. Should you request this, both personal and survey data provided by you will be deleted.

What happens if something goes wrong?

In the unlikely case of concern or complaint, you are welcome to contact my supervisor, Kirk Martinez, at [email protected].

Should he not be able to resolve the issue directly, please contact:

Lester Gilbert, Chair of Southampton University ECS Ethics Committee at [email protected]

Where can I get more information?

Please feel free to contact me with any queries about this survey at:

[email protected]