Exit this survey

1. Consent Form

This form certifies that participants have given their consent to participate in the survey.

Question Title

* 1. Research Description
You are invited to participate in a research study that is being conducted by Emma C. Moore, who is a Master’s Student in the Library and Information Science Department at Rutgers University.

Please note that you must be at least 18 years of age to participate.
Please do not continue if you are not 18 or older.

The purpose of this study is examine social roles and behavior within political “communal hashtags” on Twitter.

The study procedures include filling out the following short survey. The survey will take you approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

Risks and Benefits
There are no foreseeable risks to this study, as participation is completely anonymous and your Twitter handle will not be linked to your responses.

Voluntary Participation
Your participation is entirely voluntary and you may choose not to participate in this study or withdraw your consent at any time. You may skip any question that makes you feel uncomfortable or that you do not wish to answer. You will not be penalized in any way should you choose not to participate or withdraw.

Protection of Privacy and Confidentiality of Data
We will do our best to protect your privacy as a research participant. Because this information is being sent (transmitted) over the Internet, there is possibility that an outside party (such as a computer hacker) may be able to gain access to your information. If this survey is completed on a computer in a public accessible area, such as in a restaurant, at school or work, please understand that this can increase the possibility that others may be able to access your survey responses. Therefore, it is strongly advised that this survey be completed on a private computer to protect your privacy. Please remember to always completely close your browser (or log-off the survey area) after completing the survey.

The survey is completely anonymous. The software used to collect the data will not record the IP address of your computer or any other identifying information. We will not ask questions related to your identity. In this way, your responses will never be associated with you personally and all responses are completely anonymous.


The research team and the Institutional Review Board (a committee that reviews research studies in order to protect research participants) at Rutgers University are the only parties that will be allowed to see the data, except as may be required by law. If a report of this study is published, or the results are presented at a professional conference, only group results will be stated. All study data will be kept for 1 year.

Contact Information
If you have any questions about this study, please contact Emma C. Moore, at ecmoore8@eden.rutgers.edu and/or you can contact my faculty advisor, Mor Naaman, (mor@rutgers.edu)

If you have any questions about your rights as a research subject, you may contact the IRB Administrator at Rutgers University at:
Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey
Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
3 Rutgers Plaza
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8559
Tel: 732-932-0150 ext. 2104
Email: humansubjects@orsp.rutgers.edu

This Internet Research Information Sheet was approved by the Rutgers University Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects on 3/22/11.

T