1.1 I would like to change part of a previously approved application. Can I submit an amendment?

Unfortunately, due to the technical limitations of the UU-SER system, it is not currently possible to request amendments to approved applications. Any changes to the protocol necessitate the submission of a new application.

The only exception is adjusting the start and end dates of your study. In order to do this, please contact the FERB (fetc-fsw@uu.nl).

2.1 When is a study considered anonymous?

According to the UU Data Privacy Handbook, your study ‘can be considered anonymous if data subjects can only be re-identified with an unreasonable amount of effort, i.e., taking into account the costs, required time and technology, and future technological developments (rec. 26).

Basically, your data are not anonymous (personal) when they comply with any of the characteristics of personal data:

• There is directly identifiable information (e.g., name, email address, social security number, etc.).
• Data subjects can be singled out (i.e., you can tell one data subject from another within a known group of data subjects).
• It is possible to identify data subjects by linking records (“mosaic effect”), either within your own database or when using other data sources.
• It is possible to identify a data subject by inferring information about them (e.g., infer a disease by the variable “medication”), either within your own database or when using other data sources.
• It is possible to reverse the de-identification.

Whether data can be seen as anonymous strongly depends on the context of your research and how much information is available about the data subjects.’

For more information about working with personal data, please consult the FSBS Data Protection site.

2.2 Are students allowed to recruit research participants from their personal network?

In the past, students have indicated that it is not always possible to recruit enough participants for their research within the given timeframe. Because of this, they ask people they already know (family, friends, acquaintances) to participate in their study. Recruiting within an existing social network helps to prevent overburdening society with (student) research.

On the other hand, acquaintances may find it more difficult to decline participation, and the information they share during the study may be traced back to them by the student. As such, the FERB has set up a number of guidelines for recruiting research participants within your own social network:

• Recruiting participants from one’s personal network is allowed in case of non-sensitive topics and non-invasive methods. If possible, anonymous data collection and processing should remain standard practice. Students should avoid pressuring acquaintances to participate.
• If the topic of the research is sensitive (for example related to one’s sexual behavior or orientation, suicidal thoughts, drug use including alcohol, smoking, or soft drugs, religious or philosophical beliefs, political opinions, ethnic origin, trade union membership, violent experiences, personal health, criminal convictions, and offenses) it is recommended to carry out anonymous data collection within the network of a fellow student.
• If the research uses invasive methods (for example exposure to physical pain such as electrical or thermal shocks, shocking imagery/noises, following behavioral orders, deception, or new techniques for data collection), the FERB emphasizes that participants should not be acquaintances of the researcher as they may experience difficulty expressing the wish to stop participation.