Hello everyone!
We, that is a group of scholars from the Universities of Wuerzburg and Frankfurt (Germany), are currently conducting a short online survey on reading behavior and preferences. We want to know what you read, how much you read and why. Needless to say, all data are submitted completely anonymously. Later on, we will publish the results of the data analysis and you can request information on the results. We would be most grateful if many of you followed this link and took part in our international study (this only takes 5-10 minutes): soscisurvey.de/Plural_Y/?q=Reading
Thank you very much in advance and best wishes to you all!
TOPIC: This study is about reading (e.g., reading preferences). In the online survey, you will find contact information in case you want to get further information.
DURATION/LENGTH: 5-10 min.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA: everyone can participate whose mother tongue is English
DEADLINE: July, 2015
CONTACT INFORMATION: benjaminplange.de/english/
RESULTS: In case you want to get to know the results of the study, please feel free to contact us. We will tell you everything you want to know once the study is finished and the results are ready.
AFFILIATIONS: Dr. Benjamin P. Lange, Dipl.-Psych. Christine Hennighausen (University of Wuerzburg, Germany, Department of Media Psychology), Dr. Eugen Zaretsky (University of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Department of Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology).
There’s an identical post up in “Wish List” with some comments upon the questions included in the questionnaire. The whole thing is very badly organised and worded. I found it so bad I didn’t bother to submit my answers.
There was no information on either of the links you posted regarding the organisation responsible for the survey. Is this a formal study of the University of Wuerzburg or University of Frankfurt am Main? Has it been approved by a university ethics committee? What is the study for?
I am concerned that a university research project would provide such little information to potential participants (purpose of the study, what type of information will be collected, how will it be used, how long will it be stored, where will it be store, who has access to the information, are IP addresses recorded and stored with responses, etc).
Also concerned that the survey contains no reference to either university. The survey domain name is linked to either university and I could find no reference to the study on the university pages of the listed researchers.
Is this a personal project or a university project?
I followed the links to Benjamin Lange’s university web page. Nothing there either about ethics or purpose of this study. It looks more like a first week first term first year undergraduate attempt at a piece of uninteresting unassessed coursework than something being organised/supervised by a holder of a PhD.