Appendix 11: Experimental Consent Document

Hiya, and welcome aboard the project. What follows is a cover letter, required by the CSU Human Research Committee, describing the risks, etc of participating in this research. If there WERE any actual risks, this info would have been on the informed consent form.

Jim.

Consent Information

This study is designed to explore the human interaction which takes place during computer supported collaborative writing. During this study, you will be asked to collaborate with 2-4 other writers in producing a single document. The online conversations you and the other subjects engage in during this collaboration will be logged, as will the changes in the document being produced. You will also be interviewed informally at the conclusion of the collaborative period, and this too will be logged. At the conclusion of the data gathering phase, all names will be replaced with fictitious names to ensure your anonymity. If you decide to do so, you may end your participation in this study at any time. There are no known risks, physical, psychological, or social involved with participating in this study.

The transcripts produced will be analyzed to see what patterns of discussion occur, in an attempt to understand what kinds of communication occur during collaboration.

At the conclusion of this study, you will be provided with a copy of the resulting paper, including all transcripts.

Thank you for your participation

Jim Strickland