including anonymous survey responses in chapter

[filologos]

Hello all. I have a question about the ethics of including participant feedback on an event I run in a chapter I'm writing for publication. This event takes place every year; afterwards, I send an anonymous survey by email to solicit comments, recommendations, etc. At the end of the survey I ask "Do you give permission for your comments to be used (anonymously) for advertising future iterations of [event]?" Virtually everyone consents. Some of these comments would be very useful for the chapter I'm writing, but of course I did not ask "May I use your comments in my published academic work?" (I had no idea I would be writing about it for publication when I last sent out the survey and the event won't take place again until after my deadline.) The chapter is about the event I run, but calling it "advertising" is a stretch. Would it be ethical for me to use the anonymous comments in the chapter?

[craftyprof]

Not without going through your institution's IRB.

The survey procedures you are describing would be exempt, but you're really supposed to get that determination on the front end.  Internal evaluations don't need IRB, but the chapter you're writing is a form of external dissemination.  You should still be able to get permission from your IRB to analyze the results as an existing data set, but you have to do the paperwork and accept the slap on the wrist from your compliance officer for not setting things up correctly in advance.

[Hegemony]

If it takes place every year, could you just put the question "May I use your comments in my published academic work?" up front on this year's request for feedback, for this year's upcoming event, and then use this year's comments?

[youllneverwalkalone]

craftyprof is right, but I'd bet if you just go ahead an published your chapter nobody would really care.

[piratemet]

Would it be ethical for me to use the anonymous comments in the chapter?

No. As mentioned above, it needs to go through your institution's IRB office. The individuals did not consent to their data being used for publication, and they have the right to do so (or not). Please do not "just include" these data in your publication.

[filologos]

Not without going through your institution's IRB.

The survey procedures you are describing would be exempt, but you're really supposed to get that determination on the front end.  Internal evaluations don't need IRB, but the chapter you're writing is a form of external dissemination.  You should still be able to get permission from your IRB to analyze the results as an existing data set, but you have to do the paperwork and accept the slap on the wrist from your compliance officer for not setting things up correctly in advance.

Thanks, this is more or less what I expected. Unfortunately my deadline won't allow me to do that.

If it takes place every year, could you just put the question "May I use your comments in my published academic work?" up front on this year's request for feedback, for this year's upcoming event, and then use this year's comments?

No, perhaps the OP wasn't clear: I plan to do just that in the future, but my event won't happen again until long after my deadline for this chapter.

Would it be ethical for me to use the anonymous comments in the chapter?

No. As mentioned above, it needs to go through your institution's IRB office. The individuals did not consent to their data being used for publication, and they have the right to do so (or not). Please do not "just include" these data in your publication.

I did obtain consent for using their comments in advertising future events. If I had obtained no consent of any kind, I wouldn't have bothered to ask the question here at all.