When you work with qualitative research methods and collect data through interviews, you are handling personal data. It is important that you protect the personal data that people entrust us. Both for the sake of the people we interview and for the sake of our future research. Planning, executing and completing your research in an honest, transparent and responsible way is core to the policy for responsible conduct of research at Aarhus University, so it is vital that you take your time to think the whole process of interview data through.
We have developed this package of guidelines and tools and hope that this will ease your work with interviews while protecting the personal information.
All projects are different, so please contact Pernille peka@mgmt.au.dk for further questions.
We recommend that you first to go through the GDPR process and think about the data questions here https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/informationsecurity/data-protection/for-scientific-staff. That will make the following steps easier for you.
STEP 1: PREPARE YOU PROTECT – DO THE RISK ANALYSIS
Prior to any processing of personal data, you must fill out the template for risk assessment. Read more here https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/informationsecurity/data-protection/for-scientific-staff/data-protection-risk-and-impact-assessments
STEP 2: REGISTER YOUR PROJECT AT THE AU RECORD
All projects handling personal data (also general personal data like name, age, gender, height, weight, contact information (phone number, email), location data.) must be registered in the AU record
STEP 3: GET A RECORDER
When you record your interview, you must ensure that the personal data are stored in a secure way and are not e.g. uploaded to a server that is not GDPR compliant, which is often the case with app´s on your phone.
The safest way to do your interview-recording is to use a stand-alone recorder. We have a number of these, so please contact Dorthe Lehmann, who administers these: doleh@mgmt.au.dk.
If you record on Teams and Zoom, then you get an MP4 file with your interview. This is often a very heavy file, so the IT department recommends that you convert the MP4 into a MP3 file, so it is easier to store.
Please install these converters to your computer (and don’t use an online converter).
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/mp4-to-mp3-plu/9NWBBKPVRRQ8?hl=da-dk&gl=CRog
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/to-mp3-converter-lite/id983472324?mt=12
STEP 4: GET ACCESS TO THE TRANSCRIPTION TOOL WHISPER
Now you are ready to get access to the GDPR compliant transcription tool “Whisper Transcription App in Ucloud”. See the Whisper guideline here: DK version / UK version
You will need an acceptance from the head of department to use this tool, so please do the following: send a mail to Doris Andersen doa@mgmt.au.dk, including your risk assessment and apply for permission to using the tool. She will present your request to Jacob Eskildsen and get his acceptance.
In the risk assessment 4) you add SDU as a data processor with these information: Syddansk Universitet, SDU eScience Center, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M,CVR: 29283958
If you are working with other researchers at AU/Danish universities and they also need access to Whisper
Please ask them to follow the same procedure as here described so they can get a permission from their own Head of Department to use Whisper on this project.
If you are working with partners outside Danish universities: they can get access to use Whisper.
Please follow this procedure:
In order to start this process, please contact HPC Back Office here https://interactivehpc.au.dk/support
STEP 5: ORDER A LOGGED O-DRIVE FOR STORAGE
We recommend that you contact the IT department and ask them to open a logged o-drive for you and the colleagues from MGMT that you work with on the project.
medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/it/guides/datastorage/how-to-order-a-shared-folder
STEP 5: DECIDE ON THE LEGAL BASIS FOR YOUR DATA COLLECTION: CONSENT OR SCIENTIFIC RESEARH PURPOSES
You have to decide on the legal basis for your data processing.
You can read more here and find templates for consent forms and information duty.
Choose the template and make them ready for the interviews.
STEP 6: CHECK IF YOU NEED AN AGREEMENT IF YOU WORK WITH PARTNERS OUTSIDE AU
If you work with other researchers or a company on data with personal information, you may need an agreement, and you may need to contact TTO to get their assistance to make the agreement. This may take some time, so please start early!
Please check here https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/informationsecurity/data-protection/for-scientific-staff/sharing-personal-data
Research ethical approval
Please check if your project needs a research ethical approval here https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/research-support-and-collaboration/responsible-conduct-of-research/ethical-approval-of-research-projects
Confidentiality
Apart from personal information, your interview may contain confidential information about e.g. a company. Here you can find templates for confidentiality agreements.
Interviews or cooperation?
Please consider the relationship between you and the company/organization where you will perform the interview. Are you e.g. defining the scope together with the company or is the company involved in the data collection then it might be co-funded research that requires a collaboration agreement.
Please take a look here and decide on what kind of relation you have to the company.