New Venture Networks Study Privacy Policy
Participants in the New Venture Networks study are assured that their identities,
and the specific information that they provide on this site, will be protected in
all publications and presentations stemming from this research. Further,
participants are assured that personally identifiable information will not
be made available to anyone other than the principal investigator.
Study participants complete (1) an initial interview with the principal
investigator; and (2) a series of bimonthly follow-up surveys over the course
of a half year. Because participants begin the study with an interview, their
identities will be known to the principal investigator. However, only the
principal investigator will know their identities.
During each initial interview, a participant chooses a user ID (or code name)
and password. The ID is used by the principal investigator to label all
interview materials. The ID and password are used by the participant to
anonymously complete surveys at the Network Mapper website.
All interview materials are stored on a computer accessible to the principal
investigator only. All survey data are stored on the Network Mapper system server.
Survey data are labeled with only the participant ID; therefore, personal
identifiers never appear in system records. A key linking participants and IDs
is stored in a locked location separate from all other data and accessible only
to the principal investigator and her faculty sponsor.
In those instances where a participant is asked to identify others, those others’
identities are protected by the participant’s assignation of pseudonyms or
abbreviated names (i.e., first names with last initials). While each participant
is clearly instructed to provide pseudonyms or first names/last initials, it
is his or her responsibility to follow these instructions. Subsequent information
elicited by survey questions is insufficient to determine properly labeled
individuals. Finally, if a participant feels that answering a survey question
might compromise any individual’s privacy, he or she can choose to leave that
question blank by checking the box at the bottom of the relevant page.
