Sample Letter of Introduction Form

SAMPLE LETTER OF INTRODUCTION TO PARTICIPANTS IN ANONYMOUS SURVEY RESEARCH

Dear Study Participant,

My name is Steve Student and I am an undergraduate Psychology major at Dominican University of California.  I am conducting a research project as part of my senior thesis requirements, and this work is being supervised by Matthew S. Davis, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Dominican University of California.  I am requesting your voluntary participation in my study, which concerns people’s television viewing habits and their attitudes regarding the content of popular TV programs.  

Participation in this study involves keeping a record of the television shows you watch in the course of a one week period, and then filling out a five page questionnaire containing items on your opinions of television programming today, as well as some demographic questions to be used for statistical purposes.   Please note that your participation is completely voluntary and you are free to withdraw your participation at any time.   Likewise, your participation or non-participation will not affect your class grade.  In addition your survey responses are designed to be completed anonymously.  Anonymity cannot be guaranteed, however, and in the unlikely event an identity becomes known, all information will be held as completely confidential. Aside from keeping the television viewing record, filling out the survey is likely to take approximately 15 minutes of your time.  

If you choose to participate in this study, please fill out the attached materials as honestly and completely as possible.  You may then return them to me at your earliest convenience in the envelope provided via the Psychology Student research drop-box, located in the basement of Bertrand Hall. Remember, this survey is completely anonymous; do not put your name or any other identifying information on your survey form.  If you choose not to participate, please return your unused survey materials to me in the envelope provided.  

If you have questions about the research you may contact me at the email address below.  If you have further questions you may contact my research supervisor, (insert Faculty research supervisor’s name and phone # here) or the Dominican University of California Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Participants (IRBPHP), which is concerned with protection of volunteers in research projects. You may reach the IRBPHP Office by calling (415) 482-3547 and leaving a voicemail message, or FAX at (415) 257-0165, or by writing to IRBPHP, Office of Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dominican University of California, 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, CA 95901.

If you would like to know the results of this study once it has been completed, a summary of the results will be presented at Dominican University of California's Academic Showcase in April, 2010.  Contact me at the email address below for further information.

Thank you in advance for your participation.  

Sincerely, 

Steve S. Student 

Psychology Student Research Box 

Dominican University of California 

50 Acacia Avenue 

San Rafael, CA 94901