Ethics Documentation & Contact

Our commitment to ethical research

The wellbeing and dignity of our research participants are our highest priorities. Our research ethics approach follows these key principles:

Informed consent

All participants receive comprehensive information about the study before providing consent. Participants are free to withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.

Accommodations for Neurodivergent participants

We have several accommodations to ensure our research is accessible and comfortable for neurodivergent participants, such as:

• Flexible interview formats (in-person, phone, video call)
• Options for breaks during interviews
• Multiple session interviews if preferred
• Advance provision of interview topics

Data protection and confidentiality

• All participant data is securely stored and accessible only to the research team
• All published materials use anonymized data
• Identifying information is removed from all publications and reports
• The University of Essex serves as the Data Controller for this research

Research funding

This study is funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants (Award Reference: SRG24\241480), derived from the Academy's partnership with the Wellcome Trust.

Ethics documentation

Participants receive the following documents:

• Participant Information Sheet
• Consent Form

If you have questions or concerns about the ethical aspects of this research, please contact:

• Principal investigator: Dr Raysa Rocha
• Email: raysa.rocha@essex.ac.uk
• Office: EBS2.64-C, Essex Business School, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ