Scholar Plot Survey

Title of research study: Scholar Plot Survey

Investigator: Prof. Ioannis Pavlidis, director of the Computational Physiology Laboratory at the University of Houston.

Why am I being invited to take part in a research study?

We invite you to take part in a research study because you are a faculty in U.S. universities. Your participation is voluntary. You can choose not to take the survey or stop responding at any time.

What should I know about a research study?

• Whether or not you take part is up to you.
• You can choose not to take part.
• You can agree to take part and later change your mind.
• Your decision will not be held against you.
• This is an anonymous survey.

Why is this research being done?

The main objective of this study is, to check the usability of Scholar Plot (http://scholarplot.org/) based on Raw Plot, Normalized Plot, and Academic Garden. The secondary objective is, to compare the new implementations of Scholar Plot with Google Scholar, that is, the standard system for evaluating academic production.

How long will the research last?

We expect that you will be in this research study for 30 minutes.

How many people will be studied?

 We expect to enroll about 120 people in this research study. 

What happens if I say yes, I want to be in this research?

If you accept the terms of this online consent, you will be redirected to the survey. We are collecting feedback about a visualization scheme that aims to provide insights into the interplay of three academic merit criteria: (a) Quality of publications. (b) Impact of publications. (c) Research funds to support an academic research agenda. All the data are collected from public sources, including Google Scholar profiles, grant tables from NSF/NIH, and Journal Impact Factors (IF) reported by Thomson-Reuters. We will ask you to use different versions of our tool to judge the profile of an anonymous scholar and then compare your answers with the answers that you will give when judging the same profile through Google Scholar. We will also ask you some general questions regarding your perceptions about these new tools. If you are a tenure-track or tenured faculty in a Ph.D. granting STEM department, you will find this survey interesting and informative. We estimate that the survey will take about 30 minutes to complete.

What happens if I do not want to be in this research?

You can choose not to take part in the research and it will not be held against you. Choosing not to take part will involve no penalty or loss of benefit to which you are otherwise entitled.

What happens if I say yes, but I change my mind later?

You can leave the research at any time and it will not be held against you.

Is there any way being in this study could be bad for me?

There are no foreseeable risks related to the procedures conducted as part of this study. If you choose to take part and undergo a negative event you feel is related to the study, please inform your study team.

Will I get anything for being in this study?
Your participation is voluntary. But if you are a tenure-track or tenured faculty in a Ph.D. granting STEM department, you will find this study interesting and informative.

Will being in this study help me in any way?

 There are no known benefits to you from your taking part in this research.
 

What happens to the information collected for the research?

Your taking part in this project is anonymous, and information you provide cannot be linked to your identity.

Who can I talk to?

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints, or think the research has hurt you, you should talk to Prof. Ioannis Pavlidis at 713-743-0101 or ipavlidis@uh.edu.
This research has been reviewed and approved by the University of Houston Institutional Review Board (IRB). You may also talk to them at (713) 743-9204 or cphs@central.uh.edu if:

• Your questions, concerns, or complaints are not being answered by the research team.
• You cannot reach the research team.
• You want to talk to someone besides the research team.
• You have questions about your rights as a research subject.
• You want to get information or provide input about this research.