Help us to understand your motivation for participating in the Bluejackets project
You are being invited to take part in our research project to better understand the motivation of citizen scientists contributing to the Civil War Bluejackets project on Zooniverse. As part of this study, you will be asked to fill out an online questionnaire which will ask questions related to your experience while volunteering to a) transcribe Muster Rolls of the U.S. Navy of the American Civil War Era (Phase 1 of the project) and/or b) checking the correctness of the artificial intelligence (AI)-generated transcriptions (Phase 2 of the project).
Apart from aiming to better understand the motivation of citizen scientists to dedicate their time to the Bluejacket project, we aim to assess the usability of AI to support citizen scientists in a document transcription task as addressed by the Bluejacket project.
Before you decide whether or not to participate, it is important for you to understand why this research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part. Thank you for reading this.
What is the project’s purpose?
The aim of this project is two-fold. First of all, we aim to explore citizen scientists’ intrinsic motivation to dedicate their time and effort to contribute to the aims of the Civil War Bluejackets project as outlined on its Zooniverse page. In addition, we would like to assess how citizen scientists like yourself perceive tasks involving close collaboration with AI.
Why have I been chosen?
You have been contacted because you are or have been an active contributor to the Civil War Bluejackets project on Zooniverse.
Do I have to take part?
It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you do decide to take part, you are invited to fill out on online questionnaire. Doing so will be treated as implicit consent that you are willing to participate in this research study. You can withdraw at any time without any negative consequences. You do not have to give a reason. If you wish to withdraw from the research, please contact Frank Hopfgartner (hopfgartner@uni-koblenz.de). Your questionnaire responses will then be deleted and not be considered for further research.
What will happen to me if I take part? What do I have to do?
If you decide to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete an online questionnaire.
What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?
We don’t envision any disadvantages or risks for you when participating in this study. If there are any doubts, please feel free to discuss your concerns with the researchers involved in this study.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
By participating in this project, you will get the opportunity to tell us your personal story that has motivated you to contribute to the Civl War Bluejackets project to date. Furthermore, you will contribute to shedding further light in the usability of Zooniverse as an enabling platform for citizen science projects.
Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?
All the information that we collect about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential and will only be accessible to members of the research team. Your words may be quoted in publications, reports, web pages, and other research outputs. You will not be able to be identified in any reports or publications unless you have given your explicit consent for this. Other researchers will be authorised to access the data recorded only if they agree to preserve the confidentiality of the information.
What is the legal basis for processing my personal data?
According to data protection legislation, we are required to inform you that the legal basis we are applying in order to process your personal data is that ‘processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest’ (Article 6(1)(e) of GDPR).
What will happen to the data collected, and the results of the research project?
We will analyse the questionnaire responses to get insights on your perception of the Zooniverse platform and on your motivation to complete tasks on the platform.
Who is organising and funding the research?
The research is organised by the research team of the Civil War Bluejackets project as outlined on the project’s website on Zooniverse.
Who has ethically reviewed the project?
This project has been ethically approved via the University of Koblenz’s Ethics Review Procedure.
Contact for further information
Lead researcher: Frank Hopfgartner, University of Koblenz, hopfgartner@uni-koblenz.de
Alternative contact: Dr. Damian Shiels, Northumbria University, d.shiels@northumbria.ac.uk
