Decide whether this research is right for you

Fictional example: Northstar Services is inviting employees to a product-feedback study about its internal shift handover workspace. Taking part is voluntary. Read what the sample study involves, consider the data-use details, and ask questions before choosing.

A meeting room set for a handful of people

Choose your next step

These are options, not stages you must complete.

Review the study

Check the purpose, session length, information collected, and who can access it before deciding.

Ask a question

Contact the study team about the session or the designated privacy or research contact about data handling. Asking does not enroll you.

Consider participating

Use the participation route named in your approved invitation if you decide to take part. This page does not record or submit a response.

What the fictional study involves

Illustrative details only; they are not terms for a real study.

Purpose

The Northstar example asks whether employees can identify the next owner and unresolved item more easily in a shift handover workspace.

  • A facilitator asks participants to talk through a sample handover scenario.
  • The team uses feedback to identify confusing labels and missing context.
Time commitment

The fictional invitation describes one 30-minute session, with time to review the scenario and share feedback.

  • The stated duration is an example, not a promise about another study.
  • Ask the study team if the session format or expected time is unclear.
Information and access

In this sample, the facilitator records task observations and written notes about interface feedback. The study team reviews those materials to summarize themes.

  • The sample does not specify recording, identifiable notes, retention, or deletion; those details must be stated by the approved study owner.
  • Before joining any real study, check what is collected, who can access it, how findings are reported, and any limits on confidentiality.

Make your decision

You can pause at any point and choose not to participate.

  1. 1

    Read the invitation

    Find the study purpose, planned activity, time commitment, and participation route.
  2. 2

    Consider the data details

    Check what information is collected, who can access it, and how results will be summarized.
  3. 3

    Ask what is unclear

    Use the study or privacy/research help route for the question that matches their responsibility.
  4. 4

    Choose freely

    Participate only if you decide the study is right for you. Declining is a valid choice; asking a question is not enrollment.

Worked example: interested, but not ready to decide

A sample invitation and a reasonable follow-up

Sample invitation: “Northstar Services is inviting employees to a 30-minute session about the shift handover workspace. We want to learn which labels and handover details are easy or difficult to understand. Participation is voluntary.”

An employee replies: “I may be interested. Before I decide, will the notes identify me, and who will see them?” That is a request for clarification, not consent to join. The study team can answer questions about the session; the designated privacy or research contact can explain the approved data-handling details. The employee can then decide to participate or decline.

Why this distinction matters: interest, a question, and a decision to participate are different things. Do not treat a conversation or an unanswered invitation as consent.

Who can answer your question

Study team
Study purpose and session logistics
Department: Research
Designated privacy or research contact
Data collection, access, reporting, and handling questions
Department: Privacy or Research