University of Dundee School Research Ethics Committee Application/Approval Number: [UOD-DJCAD-2020-0216]

You are invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide whether or not you would like to participate 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. The first page of the survey provided will consist of a consent form, which will be submitted upon starting the survey. As the survey is anonymous, you will not be able to withdraw once it is submitted. Please let the researcher who gave you this information know if anything is unclear or you have any questions.

Who is conducting the research?

This survey is part of the ongoing PhD research of Nicholas Ilic (nilic@dundee.ac.uk) and is being supervised by Dr. Alan Prescott (A.r.prescott@dundee.ac.uk) as well as Dr. Caroline Erolin and Dr. Mick Peter.

What is the purpose of the research?

I, Nicholas Ilic (PhD Candidate), have created a study that will investigate the impact of representation in dermatological reference material. Factors related to a person’s skin tone may cause variation in how a skin condition is expressed and may not be sufficiently explained by a single model, as is often the case. This study aims to get quantifiable data demonstrating the impact that representation has on a person’s understanding and outlook of health and wellness and may be extrapolated to describe the impact that other facets of representation may contribute to.

Why have I been invited to take part?

You have been invited to take part because this study is dependent on having participants from a wide range of backgrounds attempt to identify skin conditions at a glance. Participants range from medical students and professionals, to regular people and students.

Do I have to take part?

No. The survey is completely voluntary and choosing to abstain will not disadvantage you in any way. You may withdraw for any reason without explanation or penalty, up until the survey is submitted. After data collection is complete it will not be possible for the participant to withdraw from the study, as the data is anonymous.

What will happen if I take part?

The study will consist of two parts. A group of reference materials will be presented to you, which you will study from, before beginning a multiple-choice test. This test will have you diagnosing the various skin conditions that you have studied based on visual cues and symptoms. These will consist of clinical photographs provided by dermatologists. The test will take at most 20 minutes.

Are there any risks in taking part?

This test will consist of viewing clinical photos of a variety of skin conditions which some may find off putting or triggering. No excessively graphic images will be used, but user discretion should be advised.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

You will not receive any payment (or equivalent) for your participation in this project. This research seeks to highlight discrepancies in the medical education field and may lead to greater harm reduction as a whole.

Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?

The data collected will not contain any personally identifiable information about you. You will be asked to provide your level of education and the subject of your studies, for additional context surrounding your responses.

The questionnaire will be numbered, and only the number will be tied to your response, not your consent form. It will not be possible to link the data you provided to your identity and name.

What will happen to the information I provide?

All digital data and documents of the participants will be stored securely on the JISC survey site and OneDrive, only accessible to the named researchers.  Any data that can directly or indirectly identify you will be destroyed after 10 years. Anonymous data may be retained for reporting and analysis purposes. The anonymised results of the study may be used in future publications and incorporated into databases to inform future professional practice.

Data Protection

The personal data that will be collected and processed in this study are the level and subject of your education.

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 us know by emailing nilic@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/).