You are subject to certain requirements when you conduct a survey using PSU resources. As the principal researcher of the survey, you assume all legal liability and responsibility for the administration of the survey and the handling of the collected data.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ANY SURVEY PROJECT. You will need to accept the following guidlines before you recieve a WebSurveyor account.

Legal Considerations for Surveys

You may incur legal liability if the treatment of survey recipients is unethical, if data resulting from your survey are misused, or if any part of the survey violates certain protected rights of individuals. Survey researchers should be aware of the following guidelines to ensure that they have made every effort to protect the rights of survey recipients.

1. PSU Human Subjects Research Review Procedures - Students and faculty conducting academic research using surveys should contact Bill Helsley, Compliance Specialist, Office of Research and Sponsored Projects at (503) 725-3423, or by email at helsleyw@pdx.edu. If there is any chance that your results will be published (including publishing on a Web page), the PSU Human Subjects Research Review Committee will require you to submit your survey instrument and research design for review before data are collected, whether your survey project is considered academic research or not. Following this review, you may need to change your protocol or survey instrument.

2. Student Records Laws - If your survey or data analysis will include academic or contact information for Portland State students, you may be subject to Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations. To learn more about FERPA, contact Agnes Hoffman, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, at (503) 725-5502, or by email at hoffmana@pdx.edu.

3. Health Records Laws – Surveys that request individual health information may be subject to HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). For more information, contact Cathy Latourette, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, at (503)725-4930, or by email at latourettec@pdx.edu.

PSU Survey Guidelines

If your survey uses any resource at Portland State University you are subject to the following requirements:

1.All surveys should clearly identify the group or person who will conduct the survey and when and where the data and resulting analyses will be available.

2.The use of the name "Portland State University" on a survey instrument or cover letter suggests an official survey being conducted by the University. If you plan to use the name on your survey, you must have approval from the appropriate individuals or offices: Office of the President (503-725-4411), Office of Academic Affairs (503-725-3422), Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration (503-725-4444), or Office of Institutional Research and Planning (see contact information below).

3.If you are a student conducting a survey as part of a PSU class project, you must have instructor approval to contact subjects and conduct the survey. The instructor must also approve the use of "Portland State University" on your cover letter or survey instrument.

4.While it is unusual to publish individual responses to a survey in print or on a Web site, if you plan to do so you must clearly indicate this in the survey introduction or cover letter so that respondents are aware of the intended uses of the results. In this case, the Human Subjects Research Review Committee must approve the introduction or cover letter and survey protocols.

5.The use of mass e-mailing lists to promote or distribute a survey to PSU faculty, staff, or students is limited to official surveys approved by the PSU administration. In some cases, the PSU Office of Information Technologies will conduct mass mailings on behalf of those conducting the survey; however, the appropriate individuals or offices must first approve these surveys. Please contact Will Garrick, Systems Analyst, Academic Computing Services, at (503) 725-3235, or by email at garrickw@pdx.edu for more information.

6.PSU student e-mail addresses are considered private information and will not be released to those conducting a survey for survey promotion or other use. Student surveys may be promoted via voluntarily supplied individual e-mail addresses or through existing student e-newsletters with the approval of the Office of Student Affairs. Please contact Wendy Endress, Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, at (503) 725-5651, or by email at endress@pdx.edu for more information.