Frequently  Asked Questions

 

Can my friend participate?

Your friend can participate as long as they are between 15 and 20, and are currently residing in the Seattle area.

To give all of your friends the opportunity to participate, like or share Project NETWORK on Facebook.

 

How will my participation in this study make a difference?

Project NETWORK depends on our participants and the information you share with us helps us create a more accurate portrayal of young adults' health behaviors, including alcohol use, how social networking sites are being used, and of the transition into adulthood. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort it takes to be a Project NETWORK participant and we value the thoughts and comments of every individual who participates. Your willingness to report your responses as accurately and honestly as you can is what makes our project a success.

 

How much will I get paid?

If you are eligible to participate, you can earn up to $75 in the form of a US Bank Card . You can earn compensation as follows: $30 for the first in-person session, and $45 for the 1-month follow-up session. The US Bank Card will be given to participants at the end of their second in-lab session. If participants are unable to attend their second in-lab session, their bank cards will be mailed to them within two weeks of the close of their second in-lab scheduling window, loaded with their compensation of $30 for the first in-person session.

 

Are there risks to participating?

There is minimal risk for participating in Project NETWORK. The risks associated with participation are primarily related to the sensitivity of some of the questions. you will be asked about thoughts, feelings and personal difficulties that may be private, as well as behaviors such as alcohol use and drug use. These questions may make you feel uncomfortable or may seem intrusive, or you may become concerned about your drinking or other health behaviors as you answer the questions. In addition, you are asked to report on illegal behaviors, such as drinking under the legal age, or using controlled substances. As a participant, you are free to skip over any questions you do not wish to answer.

 

How are you protecting my privacy?

Your participation is completely confidential. Data will be identified by a PIN randomly generated for research purposes. Your contact information and your study data will be stored in separate locations, but will be linked by your PIN. The PIN is the only way to link your contact information to the data that we collect from you. Only you and the researchers will know the PIN. You will not be identified in any research reports or research presentations of this research. Data identified only by the PIN may be shared with other researchers doing similar work on other campuses, and/or be combined with data from other campuses in some research reports. Your name and contact information will be accessible only to research staff for the purposes of contacting you to complete the study, and will be stored separately from your data on computers with password protection and locked file cabinets. We will retain your name and contact information until the end of the study (February 1, 2018). The online and experimental session surveys will be completed using a secure server supporting 128-bit encryption, which provides the highest available level of protection for your confidentiality.

 

What are my rights as a participant?

Participation in this research is voluntary, and you are free to skip over any questions you do not want to answer or to stop participating at any time. All of your data will be kept confidential.

 

I want to participate, what do I do now?

You can read over additional information and begin the initial online survey at: http://depts.washington.edu/unetwork/