Have you ever asked someone to edit or proofread your writing outside of class? Have you ever paid someone to edit or proofread your writing? If you answered yes to either one of those questions, you are invited to participate in a survey about who uses proofreading services and why.

My name is Nina Conrad, and I am a master’s student in the Teaching English as a Second Language program at UBC. I am surveying students as part of my research project titled “Exploring Postsecondary Students’ Use of Proofreading Services at a Canadian University.” The research questions are: (1) Who uses proofreading services and what is the nature of services they receive? (2) Why do students engage proofreading services? and (3) How do students perceive the effects of proofreading services in terms of their academic outcomes, development of language and writing skills, and identity?

The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. You must be at least 18 years old to participate. The information you provide will be stored on a secure server and kept private and confidential. The results of the survey will be reported in combination with other people’s responses, and your personal data will not be shared with anyone. The research findings will be described in my MA thesis and may also be published in scholarly publications in the future.

Participation in the survey is optional, and there will be no consequence to you if you do not participate. At the end of the survey, you will be invited to indicate whether you are willing to participate in a follow-up interview. Participation in the follow-up interview is also optional. Your participation in this study may result in some emotional discomfort. There is a small risk of social consequences, such as loss of status or reputation, as a result of participation in this study. There is no other risk associated with participation in this study.

All students who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Visa gift card.

To take the survey, please click the link below to begin. By taking the survey, you are consenting to participate in this research. You may skip a question or withdraw from the survey at any time.

The survey is available at: https://survey.ubc.ca/s/proofreading.

My research project is being supervised by primary investigator Ryuko Kubota (ryuko.kubota@ubc.ca) and co-supervised by Sandra Zappa-Hollman (sandra.zappa@ubc.ca). If you have any questions about the study, please contact me at nconrad@alumni.ubc.ca or contact either of my supervisors.

If you have any concerns or complaints about your rights as a research participant and/or your

experiences while participating in this study, contact the Research Participant Complaint Line in

the UBC Office of Research Ethics at 604-822-8598 or if long distance e-mail RSIL@ors.ubc.ca or

call toll free 1-877-822-8598.

 

Thank you,

Nina Conrad

 

 

Department of Language and Literacy Education

University of British Columbia

(604) 600-7776 | nconrad@alumni.ubc.ca