Welcome. Please review the implied consent form below before beginning the survey.

Implied Consent Form
Study Title: Open Science Practices Among Authors of Articles Published on the Topic of Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Principal Investigator: Dr. David Moher, PhD, dmoher@ohri.ca

OHSN-REB Number: 20230376-01H

INTRODUCTION
The emerging open science movement is a critical step towards accessible and transparent science. Open science aims to increase research availability and reach across different audiences through open data, open access platforms, transparent peer review methods, and public access. Specifically, the movement seeks to increase the amount of scientific research that is accurately being disseminated to the public as well as trust in science. Open science also aims to reduce publication bias, insufficient reporting standards, and a lack of reproducibility. To achieve this goal, change must occur, “in the culture and incentives that drive researchers’ behavior, the infrastructure that supports their research, and the business models that dominate scholarly communication. This culture change requires simultaneous movement by funders, institutions, researchers, and service providers across national and disciplinary boundaries. Despite this, the vision is achievable because openness, integrity, and reproducibility are shared values, the technological capacity is available, and alternative sustainable business models exist.” (Source: https://www.cos.io/about/mission)

Despite the movement toward an open science landscape, many barriers still obstruct its full implementation. Challenges include a lack of formal education procedures for teaching open science, low incentive to use open science policies, and increased publishing costs. In this study, a cross-sectional online survey methodology will be used to determine what open science practices are used by researchers who publish in CAIM journals. The objective of this study is to explore the use of open science practices in research published in CAIM journals.
You are invited to participate in this study because we have identified you from a sample of ~6000 corresponding authors who recently published articles in complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine journals. This consent form provides you with information to help you make an informed choice. Please read this document carefully and ask any questions you may have.  All your questions should be answered to your satisfaction before you decide whether to participate in this research study.

ARE THERE ANY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST?
There are no conflicts of interest to declare related to this study.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN DURING THIS STUDY?
Your participation in this study will require the completion of an anonymous survey. The survey asks questions about participant demographics and practices and perceived barriers related to open science. This should take approximately 15 minutes of your time.

The information you provide is for research purposes only.  Some of the questions are personal. You can choose not to answer questions if you wish.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL:
Taking part in this study is voluntary; you do not have to be in this study if you do not want to be. You can choose to end your participation in this research (called withdrawal) at any time without having to provide a reason.

The survey is anonymous. This means that we will not collect any information that explicitly identifies you (e.g., name, email address, etc.). You can withdraw from participating at any time while completing the survey simply by closing your browser; however, once the completed survey has been returned to the study team, it will not be possible to withdraw your information.  If you decide to withdraw from the study after beginning the survey, but before submitting your responses, simply close the browser window and your responses will not be retained. Because the survey is anonymous, you will not be able to withdraw from the study after submitting your responses.
RISKS AND/OR BENEFITS
Participation involves minimal risk to you. Some of the questions may however make you feel uncomfortable.  

You will not receive direct benefit from participating in this study. The results of the survey are expected to help identify gaps in the practice of open science, and potential barriers faced by researchers in the field of complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine. Subsequently, it may benefit the adoption of CAIM by the public, improve overall CAIM research integrity and usability, and ultimately lead to improved patient care, symptom relief, and overall quality of life.

PRIVACY/CONFIDENTIALITY:
The survey is anonymous which means that your answers will not be linked to you in any way.

Authorized representatives of the following organizations may look at your original records at the site where these records are held, to check that the information collected for the study is correct and follows proper laws and guidelines.

·      The Ottawa Health Science Network Research Ethics Board who oversees the ethical conduct of this study.

·      Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, to oversee the conduct of research at this location.
Information that is collected about you for the study (called study data) may also be sent to the organizations listed above. Your name, address, email, or other information that may directly identify you will not be used. The records received by these organizations may contain your sex/gender, academic rank and institution information, and career stage.

Communication via e-mail is not absolutely secure. We do not recommend that you communicate sensitive personal information via e-mail.

If the results of this study are published, your identity will remain anonymous. It is expected that the information collected during this study will be used in analyses and will be published/presented to the scientific community at meetings and in journals.

We will share your anonymous data from this study on the Open Science Framework. This means your data may be used for other research purposes. Information that links your study data directly to you will not be shared.

If information from this study is published, shared, or presented at scientific meetings, your identity will remain anonymous.

Even though the likelihood that someone may identify you from the study data is very small, it can never be completely eliminated.

Data collected using the SurveyMonkey software resides on a Montreal, Quebec server.

COST AND/OR PAYMENT:
There will be no cost to you to take part in this study.
RIGHTS OF PARTICIPANTS:
You have the right to be informed of the results of this study once the entire study is complete. If you would like to be informed of the results of this study, please contact the research team.

Your rights to privacy are legally protected by federal and provincial laws that require safeguards to ensure that your privacy is respected.

QUESTIONS:
If you have any questions about taking part in this study, you may contact Dr. David Moher, PhD at dhmoher@ohri.ca.

If you have questions about your rights as a participant or about ethical issues related to this study, you can talk to someone who is not involved in the study at all. Please contact The Ottawa Health Science Network Research Ethics Board, Chairperson at 613-798-5555 extension 16719. 

CONSENT
By completing the survey your consent to participate is implied.

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