FAQs
Dear scientist,
Below you will find answers to frequently asked questions about participation in the BSS.
How will the Berlin Science Survey be used in research?
Through the Berlin Science Survey, we will gain insight into the research situations of scientists in the various disciplines within the Berlin metropolitan area. We are particularly interested in the following topics: research practices, research quality, collaborative relationships, open science practices, and knowledge transfer. The BSS provides research to accompany the measures taken by the BUA, the aim being to critically reflect on these measures. The perspective taken is always that of the scientists themselves, since only you can tell us what is going well for you and what is going badly.
How time-consuming is it to participate?
You will need about 15 minutes to answer the online questionnaire. Here, we will primarily ask you your opinion on research practices in your discipline, especially with regard to research quality, collaborations, and open science.
We would be grateful if you would also participate in the annual follow-up surveys, which will provide us with a longitudinal perspective on changes in the research cultures of the individual disciplines.
How can I participate?
If you are a scientist at one of the four institutions of the Berlin University Alliance, you can easily start the survey by clicking on the following link.
How did you get my email address?
We do not have your e-mail address. If you have received an invitation from us, this was done as part of a list mailing via the respective institution's management (e.g. the university's steering committee), without us having access to the corresponding e-mail distribution list.
Can I refuse to give certain information asked for by the questionnaire?
Of course. The survey is voluntary, and you can also refuse to give answers to individual questions. However, please keep in mind that we have carefully selected the questions and can only carry out all planned analyses on the basis of fully completed questionnaires.
What happens to my data?
During the survey, you will be asked to provide information about your research experiences and practices, so-called survey data. With your consent, we will store your personal contact information so that we can contact you again for follow-up surveys. We store this information separately from your survey data in a protected domain on the in-house servers of the Humboldt University of Berlin. No connection can be made between your contact data and your survey data. The contact data will only be used for the purposes for which you have given your consent.
Data will not be passed on to third parties, and data analyses will always be aggregated to exclude the possibility of referencing the data to individual participants.
For more information about data protection in relation to the Berlin Science Survey, please click here.
Can my university see my answers?
No. This is not possible. Data will be stored anonymously and will not be shared with anyone outside the BSS team. Results will only be published in aggregated form.
How and when will I learn about the results of the survey?
You are welcome to leave your contact details at the end of the survey so that we can send you the results by e-mail. Otherwise, you are welcome to visit our homepage at any time: here, we upload new results promptly.
If this does not answer yout questions, please contact us at:
rmz-berlinsciencesurvey@hu-berlin.de
Your Berlin Science Survey Team!