** Before we start, I am required to include this detailed letter to ensure your informed consent to participate in the survey.  Please indicate your willingness to participate at the end of the letter by clicking YES or NO.

Purpose of the Study:  The purpose of this research study is to investigate why people become devoted fans of a particular genre of popular culture and what role that fandom plays in their lives.  While there are many explanations of fan behavior by academics and the media, virtually none of them are based on systematic information gathered from fans themselves.  My study tackles this issue by exploring an increasingly popular genre of fan devotion – comic-con culture – and will gather a variety of systematic information about fans and their behavior through the use of surveys and in-depth interviews.  This will produce the first, formal data set about fan communities and enable a greater understanding of fan behavior in the social sciences.

Procedures:  If you decide to participate in the survey, you will be asked 26 questions about your fan interests and activities, and what role they play in your life.  Some of the questions have predetermined responses for you to select, some are arranged on a Likert scale (asking for your level of agreement or disagreement with a statement), and some are open-ended and allow you to write-in additional information.  Generally, the survey takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete, depending on the level of detail in your responses.  

Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria:  To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years old.  Nonetheless, I welcome anyone who is familiar with comic-con culture (i.e., with comic books, superheroes, cosplay, anime/manga, sci-fi/fantasy, art/collecting, gaming) to take the survey, including those who consider themselves "big fans" as well as "casual fans."  

Risks/Discomfort:  To my knowledge, there is no risk (or possible harm) to you from your participation in this study.

Benefits:  The current study is intended to provide a better understanding of fan behavior by gathering information directly from fans and allowing them to describe their interests and what role they play in their lives.  You may benefit from your participation by sharing your experiences and adding to a greater social-scientific understanding of fan behavior.  

Alternatives to Participation:  Participation in this study is voluntary (that is, it is up to you whether or not to participate).  You are free to withdraw or discontinue participation in the survey at any time without penalty.  Because the data are anonymous, it is not possible to remove your data from the dataset should you decide you want to withdraw from the study.  As such, all data that are collected will be used in the analysis.  You may also choose not to answer any questions that you do not want to answer.  

Cost Compensation:  You will receive no compensation for your participation in this survey.

Confidentiality:  To ensure your anonymity, I am not collecting any identifying information that could be used to identify you.  The program used to house the questionnaire will be set to remove all identifying information from the dataset including IP addresses.  I ask that you not include any information in open-ended responses that could be used to identify you.  Any publications or reports that result from this research will not include identifying information on any participant.

The data are being collected via the online platform, Google Forms.  To address any concerns you may have about the confidentiality of data collected in this manner, please see the Google Data Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US.  You should specifically look at the section entitled, “Keeping Your Information Secure.”  Please note that although we, the researchers, will not be collecting information that could identify you, only you can fully guarantee the security of the data you provide.  You are encouraged to take the survey in a private location where others are unable to see your responses.

Contact Information:  If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research participant please contact the Institutional Review Board Chairperson, Dr. Elizabeth Katz, Office of University Research Services, 8000 York Road, Towson University, Towson, Maryland 21252; phone (410) 704-2236.  If you have questions about the study or if you wish to withdraw your consent, please contact the Principal Investigator, Dr. Michael A. Elliott; phone (410) 704-2354; e-mail: melliott@towson.edu.

Disclosures:  By clicking YES below, I am indicating my understanding that (a) I am participating in a research study; (b) my participation is completely voluntary and that I can withdraw my consent at any time without penalty; and (c) I do not have to answer any questions I do not want to answer.  If you do not wish to participate, please click NO.