Introduction

You are being asked to take part in a research study. Please read this paper carefully and ask questions about anything that you do not understand.

Who is doing this research study?

The person in charge of this research study is Truong (Jack) Luu and Seungjoo Yoon of the University of Cincinnati (UC), the Department of Operations, Business Analytics, and Information Systems (OBAIS). They are being guided in this research by Dr. Binny M. Samuel.

There may be other people on the research team helping at different times during the study.

What is the purpose of this research study?

The goal of this study is to understand how people make decisions and evaluate information in their everyday online activities. We want to know what factors affect how they react to different kinds of content and messages.

Who will be in this research study?

Our goal is to have about 7,500–10,000 people take the survey across several platforms over the next five years. You may be in this study if you are 18 years of age or older and complete the study through an established online research platform such as Amazon Mechanical Turk, Prolific, Qualtrics Panels, QuestionPro, or CloudResearch Connect.

What will you be asked to do in this research study and how long will it take?

You will complete an online survey containing a variety of short questionnaires and decision-making activities. Topics may include everyday habits, attitudes, and evaluations of different types of information.

The study will take about 30–40 minutes.

All activities will be completed in one sitting.

Are there any risks to being in this research study?

• The risk is not expected to be more than you would have in daily life.
• You are free to withdraw from the survey at any time. However, if you do not complete the survey, you will not be eligible to receive payment.

Are there any benefits from being in this research study?

There is no direct benefit to you from taking part in this study. However, your participation may help researchers better understand how people make decisions in online environments.

What will you get because of being in this research study?

You will be paid through the platform at a base rate of $8.00 per hour, prorated to the length of the study. For a 30- to 40-minute study, the base payment is about $4.00 to $5.33. The platform issues payment after your submissions are reviewed. You may also earn a bonus on top of the base payment. Bonuses are only for submissions that show good-faith work. That means finishing in a reasonable amount of time, answering all questions, and writing thoughtful responses. The research team decides bonuses, and they are not guaranteed.

Do you have choices about taking part in this research study?

If you do not want to take part in this research study, you may simply not participate.

How will your research information be kept confidential?

Information about you will be kept private by:

• limiting access to research data to the research team
• keeping research data on a password-protected computer

Your information will be stored on password-protected secure servers provided by the University of Cincinnati. Only members of the research team listed on this project will have access to the data.

The data from this research study may be published, but you will not be identified by name.

Agents of the University of Cincinnati may inspect study records for audit or quality assurance purposes.

The researcher cannot promise that information sent by the internet or email will be private.

Research data will be retained for five years after publication in accordance with UC policy. After that period, all electronic files will be securely deleted from UC servers so that they cannot be recovered.

Any results we publish or present will be reported in aggregate form, and you will not be identified by name or through any other personally identifying details.

Information that could identify you will be removed from the study data. The study data will not be used or shared for future research studies.

What are your legal rights in this research study?

Nothing in this consent form waives any legal rights you may have. This consent form also does not release the investigator, the institution, or its agents from liability for negligence.

What if you have questions about this research study?

If you have any questions or concerns about this research study, you should contact Truong (Jack) Luu at luutp@mail.uc.edu.

The UC Institutional Review Board reviews all research projects that involve human participants to be sure the rights and welfare of participants are protected.

If you have questions about your rights as a participant, complaints and/or suggestions about the study, you may contact the UC IRB at (513) 558-5259. Or, you may call the UC Research Compliance Hotline at (800) 889-1547, or write to the IRB, 300 University Hall, ML 0567, 51 Goodman Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0567, or email the IRB office at irb@ucmail.uc.edu.

Do you have to take part in this research study?

No one has to be in this research study. Refusing to take part will NOT cause any penalty or loss of benefits that you would otherwise have.

You may start and then change your mind and stop at any time.

By turning in your completed survey, you indicate your consent for your answers to be used in this research study.

Please keep this information sheet for your reference.