Information Sheet for Research Study

You are invited to participate in the 2023 Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) Registry Implementation collection

exercise. Your participation is voluntary. This document explains information about the study. You should read the information below

and ask questions about anything that you do not understand. A researcher will be available to answer your questions.

You should only decide to participate if the following is true for you: You are responding on behalf of a Forensic Science Service

Provider.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to research and collect from Forensic Science Service Providers (FSSPs):

● An FSSP’s use and adoption of the documentary standards placed on the OSAC Registry so OSAC can understand how the

FSSPs are using the standards.

● An FSSP’s level of implementation - full, partial, not yet, will not, or not applicable - of the documentary standards placed on

the OSAC Registry so OSAC can understand how or if the FSSPs are using the standards.

● How FSSPs report on their use, adoption, and implementation of the standards on the OSAC Registry will determine how

OSAC can support, help, or work with the nation's FSSPs to improve the implementation of these standards into the FSSP's

standard operating procedures (SOPs).

● The FSSP's 'Directors', 'Quality Managers', or designated technical lead are the targeted respondents of this survey. The FSSP

will determine who the appropriate respondent will be.

● The final results will be delivered in an annual report that will show OSAC where the standards are or are not being

implemented. The final report will guide OSAC's outreach efforts to facilitate the adoption of the standards.

PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT

● If you decide to take part in this study, you will be asked to complete one (1) questionnaire. The collection exercise has an

expected completion time of 15-60 minutes. You will be asked for demographic information such as name, organization

name, city and state. Questions will also focus on OSAC Registry standards implementation.

● Participation in this collection exercise is voluntary.

● Participants must be at least 18 years old.

● Participants should hold a professional position as a Forensic Science Service Provider.

● Participants should be fluent in English.

● Your responses will be used to prepare a final report of aggregated data for the benefit of the forensic science community

and OSAC.

WITHDRAW

● A participant can request to withdraw from the study at any point.

● A participant's responses may not be able to be extracted and destroyed after the data has been stripped of identifiers and

those identifiers destroyed.

● There are no negative consequences for choosing to withdraw.

● A participant may choose to withdraw without providing a reason.

● A participant that requests to be withdrawn should contact the project leads,

donna.sirk@nist.gov or john.jones@nist.gov via email.

● The project leads Donna Sirk and John Jones have the authority to withdraw a participant from the study and/or discard

participant responses.

PAYMENT/COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION

You will not be compensated for your participation.

CONFIDENTIALITY

● The respondent’s name, email address, organization name and organization city, state, will remain confidential and be

de-identified at the earliest possible opportunity. Data (identifiers/subject information/code key/master list) are considered

de-identified when any direct or indirect identifiers, codes and/or links connecting the data to the participant are destroyed.

No data can be linked back to an individual respondent.

● Data access is limited to the members of the NIST research team, NIST Research Protections Office (RPO) to include the NIST

Institutional Review Board (IRB), and the NIST Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). The IRB reviews and monitors

research studies to protect the rights and welfare of the research subjects.

● When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no identifiable information will be used.

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● Collections completed by respondents will not be used for future research.

POSSIBLE RISKS

Possible risks or discomforts associated with this study are low. The names and email addresses of the respondents, organization

names, and locations are the greatest risk of exposure. However, the identifiers associated with respondents will be de-identified,

protected by NIST’s information technology security protocols being used and the limited access to the respondent’s identifiers.

There is a small risk to professional reputation.

INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION

● If you have any questions about this study, please contact the OSAC Program Office within NIST’s Special Programs Office at

forensics@nist.gov.

● If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the NIST Research Protections Office

and/or Institutional Review Board at 301-975-5445 or email rpooffice@nist.gov.

● If a participant requests to be withdrawn from the study, contact the project leads,

donna.sirk@nist.gov or john.jones@nist.gov via email.

By submitting this questionnaire, I understand the above description of the research and the risks and benefits associated with my

participation as a research subject.

DO NOT SIGN THIS INFORMATION SHEET. PLEASE KEEP IT FOR YOUR RECORDS.

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