To help you decide whether you would like to take part, or not, in the above research study, it is important that you understand why the research is being performed and what it will involve. Please read the information below carefully and ask questions about anything that is not clear, or get in touch if you would like more information before you decide to take part in this research. It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. The survey is not compulsory and, even if you decide to participate, you can withdraw at any time.
You will be asked to confirm that you are happy to participate by clicking the “next” button below.
This study was approved by the Faculty Research Ethics Committee (FREC) at the University of Southampton (ERGO/FEPS/108663) and for participants in South Africa by the University of Cape Town Inter-Faculty Human Research Ethics Committee (IFHREC) - IFHREC/02301/2025.
What is the research about?
The purpose of this survey is to collect information about people who develop the software that is used in research. We call these people Research Software Engineers (RSEs), but they exist under many job titles (postdoctoral researcher, software developer, applications’ consultant, bioinformatician, etc.).
Why have I been asked to participate?
You have received this link because you were identified as someone who writes research software or because you are on a mailing list that is used by people who write research software.
How long will it take?
The survey takes about 20-30 minutes to complete.
What will happen to me if I take part?
You will be asked a series of questions about you, your work and your experience of being an RSE.
Are there any benefits in my taking part?
The data collected by this survey will be used to help persuade universities, funders and other research organisations to develop policies that recognise the fundamental role played by the people who write software in research. This means there is no direct individual benefit to answering this survey, but there is a significant benefit to the community of Research Software Engineers.
Are there any risks involved?
We know of no risks involved in taking part in this survey.
What data will be collected?
Most questions are non-mandatory. We will collect data:
- About you, including demographic data
- About where you work
- About your work practices and experience
- About your perceptions of your work
- About your membership of national associations and your views on RSEs
Will my participation be confidential?
Your participation and the information we collect about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential. The data we collect will be anonymised and this version of the data will be made publicly available.
Only members of the research team and responsible members of the University of Southampton may be given access to data about you for monitoring purposes and/or to carry out an audit of the study to ensure that the research is complying with applicable regulations. Individuals from regulatory authorities (people who check that we are carrying out the study correctly) may require access to your data. All of these people have a duty to keep your information, as a research participant, strictly confidential.
Do I have to take part?
No, it is entirely up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you decide you do not want to take part, just close this page.
What happens if I change my mind?
You can change your mind and withdraw at any time. If you decide not to continue with the survey, just close the survey window.
If you wish to withdraw from the survey entirely, you can select "Exit and clear survey" at the top right of the survey window, and all the information you have provided will be deleted.
To remove your data from our records after completing the survey you must take a record of your response ID. This is because we do not collect your name or contact details, so we need your response ID to identify which record to remove.
What will happen to the results of the research?
We will publish a summary of the data via a Superset Dashboard and make the anonymised data available under an open licence (CC-BY) via Zenodo.
Where can I get more information?
If you want more information, you can contact the lead researcher, Simon Hettrick. You can learn more about Research Software Engineers from the Software Sustainability Institute and the Society of Research Software Engineering.
What happens if there is a problem?
If you have a concern about any aspect of this study, please contact Simon Hettrick. If you remain unhappy or have a complaint about any aspect of this study, please contact the University of Southampton Research Integrity and Governance Manager (rgoinfo@soton.ac.uk).
Data Protection Privacy Notice
The University of Southampton conducts research to the highest standards of research integrity. As a publicly-funded organisation, the University has to ensure that it is in the public interest when we use personally-identifiable information about people who have agreed to take part in research. This means that when you agree to take part in a research study, we will use information about you in the ways needed, and for the purposes specified, to conduct and complete the research project. Under data protection law, ‘Personal data’ means any information that relates to and is capable of identifying a living individual. The University’s data protection policy governing the use of personal data by the University can be found on its website (https://www.southampton.ac.uk/legalservices/what-we-do/data-protection-and-foi.page).
This Participant Information Sheet tells you what data will be collected for this project and whether this includes any personal data. Please ask the research team if you have any questions or are unclear what data is being collected about you.
Our privacy notice for research participants provides more information on how the University of Southampton collects and uses your personal data when you take part in one of our research projects and can be found at http://www.southampton.ac.uk/assets/sharepoint/intranet/ls/Public/Research%20and%20Integrity%20Privacy%20Notice/Privacy%20Notice%20for%20Research%20Participants.pdf
Any personal data we collect in this study will be used only for the purposes of carrying out our research and will be handled according to the University’s policies in line with data protection law. If any personal data is used from which you can be identified directly, it will not be disclosed to anyone else without your consent unless the University of Southampton is required by law to disclose it.
Data protection law requires us to have a valid legal reason (‘lawful basis’) to process and use your Personal data. The lawful basis for processing personal information in this research study is for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. Personal data collected for research will not be used for any other purpose.
For the purposes of data protection law, the University of Southampton is the ‘Data Controller’ for this study, which means that we are responsible for looking after your information and using it properly. The University of Southampton will keep identifiable information about you for 10 years after the study has finished after which time any link between you and your information will be removed.
To safeguard your rights, we will use the minimum personal data necessary to achieve our research study objectives. Your data protection rights – such as to access, change, or transfer such information - may be limited, however, in order for the research output to be reliable and accurate. The University will not do anything with your personal data that you would not reasonably expect.
If you have any questions about how your personal data is used, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please consult the University’s data protection webpage (https://www.southampton.ac.uk/legalservices/what-we-do/data-protection-and-foi.page) where you can make a request using our online form. If you need further assistance, please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer (data.protection@soton.ac.uk).
Thank you for supporting the Research Software Engineering community.
