Process for developing an evidence-led Core Research Skills Training Curriculum-
Delphi study
Panellist Information
version 1.0 05/02/2020
******Panellist recruitment is now closed******
We would like to invite you to take part in a Delphi consensus study. Before you decide whether or not you would like to take part, it is important for you to consider why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please read this information carefully.
1. What’s the study about?
We are carrying out this study to develop an evidence-led Core Research Skills Training Curriculum (core curriculum). This project is led by Professor Trudie Lang at University of Oxford, in collaboration with the World Health Organization Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO-TDR). The aim of this study is to find consensus on what constitutes the minimum set of skills, knowledge and key principles that would enable those without previous experience in research to undertake high-quality research for health. We have reviewed the responses from research training needs surveys and the feedback from research training workshops and eLearning collected by The Global Health Network from 2017 to 2019. We have analysed the responses of 6912 participants from 153 countries across the globe. This has provided us with a range of research skills topics and themes. In this study, we would like you to give us your views, indicating which of these themes you consider essential and should be included in the Core Research Skills Training Curriculum.
2. What do I need to do?
The study will use the Delphi method, which is a way of combining the views of multiple experts to reach agreement on a subject. Taking part will involve completing two online surveys over a period of 12 weeks, beginning in February 2020. Your participation in the study is voluntary and you can withdraw at any point.
The surveys will be distributed through Jisc online surveys. In the first survey you will be asked to rate your level of agreement for including the listed themes in the Core Research Skills Training Curriculum. In the second survey you will be provided with a summary of how the rest of the study participants rated each item and have a chance to change your answers if you wish to do so. Each of the two surveys would take approximately 30 minutes to complete. The surveys do not have to be completed in one sitting; you can save your answers and return to it later.
3. How will participants be selected?
We are inviting you to participate as a Delphi panel member. Participants must be over the age of 18 years and able to understand and communicate in English. We will include individuals from a range of backgrounds, and therefore you will be asked to provide demographic information including details of your background, current role and any experiences and expertise in research. Our expert panellist group will include the views of researchers, research participants, research training facilitators, members of research advisory committees, research funders, authors of peer-reviewed research training papers, authors of research training books/programmes, journal editors, research policy makers and regulators.
If you would like to take part in this study, please click on the link to access the Delphi Study Panellist Survey at the bottom of the page. Eligibility will be assessed at the time you express interest.
4. Are there any risks in taking part?
It is very unlikely that taking part in the study will cause you any harm or emotional distress. You can withdraw your participation at any point, however the nature of the Delphi process means that your responses up to the point of withdrawal will be used.
5. How confidential are my answers to the questionnaires?
All your responses to the surveys will be anonymous to the other participants. We will combine answers from all participants and use this to inform the development of the Core Research Skills Training Curriculum.
We would like permission to use any direct quotes provided. All quotes will be anonymised using codes. All personal information will be removed or anonymised before results are made public.
6. What happens to my information and will it be kept confidential?
Any data from which you could be identified (e.g. your name, age, level of education, institution) is known as personal data. We will minimise the collection of personally identifiable information during your participation in this project. We will also give you a unique participant number so that your name is not stored with any other confidential information you give us. We will keep identifiable information about you for the maximum of five years after the study has finished. All electronic data will be stored in encrypted University of Oxford servers and Jisc to which only the research team will have access. The findings may be published in a scientific journal and/or presented at a conference. Your identity will remain anonymous in all publications and presentations of the findings (with the exception of names of those who consent to being listed as Delphi participants in appendices to the Core Research Skills Training Curriculum).
Responsible members of the University of Oxford may be given access to data for monitoring and/or audit of the study to ensure that we are complying with regulations. They will keep this data entirely confidential.
The University of Oxford is responsible for ensuring the safe and proper use of any personal information you provide, solely for research purposes.
7. Do I have to take part?
No, your participation is voluntary and it is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you decide you would like to take part, but later change your mind, you can withdraw from the study at any time without needing to give a reason.
8. Who is funding the study?
Funding to support this project has been received in association with The Global Health Network collaborating programmes, including but not limited to, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Burdett Trust for Nursing, World Health Organization Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO TDR), the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No.s 734548, 734584, 734857 and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) 2 Programme under the European Union - grant agreement number RIA2016E-1612.
9. Who has reviewed this study?
This research has been looked at by an independent group of people, called Research Ethics Committee, to protect your interests. This project has been reviewed and approved by Oxford Tropical Research and Ethics Committee (OxTREC). Reference number OxTREC 541-18.
10. Who do I contact if I have a concern or wish to complain?
If you have a concern about any aspect of this project, please speak to a member of the research team (Arancha de la Horra, +44 1865 612 978 or research@theglobalhealthnetwork.org) or Professor Trudie Lang (info@theglobalhealthnetwork.org) who will do their best to answer your query.
11. Data protection
The University of Oxford is responsible for ensuring the safe and proper use of any personal information you provide, solely for research purposes. Research is a task that we perform in the public interest. This means that as University of Oxford researchers, we are responsible for looking after your information and using it properly.
For further information about your individual rights under the General Data Protection Regulation, please follow this link:
Click the study link below to access the survey: https://oxford.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/essential-research-skills-delphi-panelist-selection-s
Further information and contact details
If you require further information about the study, you can contact:
Arancha de la Horra
Clinical Research Specialist
The Global Health Network
Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health
New Richards Building,
Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford,
Old Road Campus, Roosevelt Drive, Headington
Oxford OX3 7LG
Email: research@theglobalhealthnetwork.org
Phone: +44 1865 612978
Thank you for taking your time to read this information