Today is Friday, November 13, 2020. As Week 6 comes to a close, I have decided to start taking a closer look at figuring out if my research needs IRB review before coming up with interview questions and beginning my interviews. Earlier this week, I contacted UCSB's Office of Research and scheduled a zoom meeting with Rebeca Lopez who is a part of the Human Subjects Committee. She was able to answer all of my questions, which is really going to help me continue onto the next phase of my project. What is important to know when determining if a project is considered human subjects research is knowing if it is designed for generalizable knowledge. As stated on the ORahs website, "Generalizable knowledge means conclusions, facts, or principles derived from particulars...that are applicable to or affect a whole category." The link to figure out if a project requires IRB review is pasted below. If I were to generalize my findings and say it pertains to all fieldworkers, then it would be considered human subject research. Because I am planning on giving an autobiography and biographies/individual stories, it is not fully considered human subject research unless I plan on publishing my zine to the public.
Although my project may not need to be reviewed, it is still important to construct a good consent form. Rebeca mentioned that some key points I should include in my consent form is how I plan to keep my interviewee's information confidential, let them know that they can chose not to answer a question if it makes them uncomfortable and can even stop the interview whenever they choose. I believe this is all very important to include because some of my interviewees will be undocumented, making it very hard to open up and share their stories if they believe they are at risk. She gave me a link (pasted below) that led me to various examples of consent forms that I could use as guides, all from the ORahs website. I also asked Rebeca if giving each interviewee a $20 giftcard would be appropriate and wouldn't sway people to only want to be interviewed for the incentive. She thought that this was fine to do as it is a token of appreciation, which is great to know!
Rebeca said she would get back to me if I would need IRB review if I decided to publish my zine. She also pointed out that ORahs is not allowing in-person interviews at the moment because of the pandemic. However, she said this problem does not pertain to me, because my project is not considered research. So, I am still planning on doing in-person interviews. As of right now, my goals are to begin constructing a consent form and a list of interview questions.
To figure out if a project requires IRB review: https://www.research.ucsb.edu/human-subjects/for-researchers
Sample Consent Forms: https://www.research.ucsb.edu/forms#HSC
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