Wine Survey

[winesaver1]

Hello Wine Enthusiasts!

I'm on a team with Cal State Fullerton and doing a project for school and was wondering if you could take 1 minute to fill out a survey! The survey has general questions about wine consumption. Thank you for time!

https://jfe.qualtrics.com/form/SV_28Y0Pi8VYvZZXbD

 

[BernardSmith]

seems more like a marketing survey than anything that is grounded in scholarship... I would hope that any college that agrees to lend its name to a survey would have those undertaking the survey go through their IRB. You are dealing with what are called "human subjects". I would hope that the IRB would provide you with guidance to help ensure and protect the anonymity of those completing the survey and makes very clear any consequences that may befall anyone taking such a survey. Marketers ignore such good practice.

 

[richmke]

I was thinking it is for an engineering or business entrepreneur class.

I think human subject rules mainly apply to when you are performing human trial experiments. I think the rules are much more lax (if any) on getting people (especially your classmates) to answer a paper survey.

 

[beano]

Hello Wine Enthusiasts!

I'm on a team with Cal State Fullerton and doing a project for school and was wondering if you could take 1 minute to fill out a survey! The survey has general questions about wine consumption. Thank you for time!

https://jfe.qualtrics.com/form/SV_28Y0Pi8VYvZZXbD

Do you work for the goverment? What is your purpose for this survey? You might get a better response if you explain yourself. Who are your teammates..... Please respond.

Do you drink wine??

Beano Joe

 

[winesaver1]

Do you work for the goverment? What is your purpose for this survey? You might get a better response if you explain yourself. Who are your teammates..... Please respond.

Do you drink wine??

Beano Joe

Hello Beano Joe! No I don't work for the government. The purpose of the survey is for a business entrepreneurship class. We are trying to find a target market for a potential product our group has come up with for a project. My teammates are my classmates. Yes I like the taste of wine but I don't drink it often because I prefer hard liquor as a college student

 

[BernardSmith]

I was thinking it is for an engineering or business entrepreneur class.

I think human subject rules mainly apply to when you are performing human trial experiments. I think the rules are much more lax (if any) on getting people (especially your classmates) to answer a paper survey.

Actually, they don't.The origins of the IRB oversight over human subjects has to do with appallingly unethical medical experiments that continued until the late 1970s in the USA. To protect any and all live human subjects of research of any kind every accredited university and college dept that makes use of "human subjects" in even a survey must show that the institution has followed a very specific and (IMO - intrusive) ethics protocol. In fact, when my colleagues and I are doing internal research for our own college's use (not for publication and not for scholarship) that involves even a survey of students we have to go through our IRB. My guess is that for a class project the rules at some institutions may be more um... lax... but in fact even for class exercises (and this survey has been sent to us here and presumably it will be an accident if anyone here is a class--mate of the OP) the faculty teaching the class are subject to IRB oversight. Library research is not covered. Historical research is not covered. But when living breathing people are the subjects of research that involves more than the passive observation (eg, interviewing, surveys, participant observation - not just drug trails), those involved are subject to Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 46... and in fact failure to comply can mean federal funds being denied that institution.

 

[ibglowin]

Looks like a neat project. While you will find many wine drinkers here for sure most of the people here are also ahem how should I say very "experienced" in the art of drinking wine and many folks simply will not have too many left over opened bottles of wine. LOL Therefore your results could be skewed to not interested in the possible product whereas "lesser" wine drinkers may be very interested in a product like that. Hope that made some sense!

 

[sour_grapes]

Bernard, when I read your first message, I agreed and was concerned enough to look up the guidance given at my institution regarding this. Obviously, "research" is indeed subject to IRB oversight, but non-research is not. Class projects NOT leading to generalizable knowledge are not considered to be research. It appears that Cal State Fullerton has the same policy:

(http://www.fullerton.edu/research/research-compliance/irb/)

CSUF students, faculty or staff who conduct research involving human services when such data will be available for generalized public knowledge and/or publication requires review and approval by CSUF IRB. (Emphasis added.)

Seems like your institution is playing it more cautiously?

 

[BernardSmith]

We have a very strong IRB committee... so it may overstep sometimes... but they do require consultation even for internal research (interviewing /surveying our own students to assess their experiences within the college and the like)..

 

[sour_grapes]

We have a very strong IRB committee... so it may overstep sometimes... but they do require consultation even for internal research (interviewing /surveying our own students to assess their experiences within the college and the like)..

Well, it is probably not a terrible policy. They can always say "Okay, that is not research, you can do the study," but this allows them to look at all the cases. Although, as you say, it can get in the way sometimes.