Information and consent - Methodology student consultation
Please read this information and then return to the Microsoft Form to give your consent.
Student consultation on programme changes and new programmes
Dr Sally Stares
Department of Methodology, LSE
Information for participants
Thank you for considering participating in this study which will take place in August 2026. This information sheet outlines the purpose of the study and provides a description of your involvement and rights as a participant, if you agree to take part.
1. What is the research about?
Staff in the Department of Methodology have been discussing ideas for potential changes and additions to our MSc programmes in future years, and we would hugely welcome your feedback on these ideas. To this end, we would like to hold some focus group discussions with current and former students.
To give a brief outline of our ideas: in terms of additional offerings, we are considering launching a 9-month 'taught-only' version of the MSc in Applied Social Data Science, and similarly a 9-month 'taught-only' version of the MSc Social Research Methods. These would not include a capstone/dissertation project, and instead the programme credit would be earned by following four half-unit courses in each of the two teaching terms. In terms of programme changes, we are considering changes to the organisation and/or assessment of the capstone/dissertation, so that we can ensure its academic integrity in the context of genAI, and so that our graduates can confidently demonstrate this in their future job/study applications.
2. Do I have to take part?
It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. You do not have to take part if you do not want to. A special note for current students: please be assured that participating or not participating will have no effect whatsoever on your grades, access to learning opportunities, or relationships with staff in any way. If you do decide to take part we will ask you to indicate your consent via a consent form. The consent form is provided at the end of this document, and we will offer an online version too, for convenience. You can confirm your consent before or at the start of the focus group.
3. What will my involvement be?
Your involvement would be to take part in a focus group discussion with other current or past Methodology students. We would ask you to choose from one of a few time slots. The duration of the focus group would be 90 minutes at the most.
4. How do I withdraw from the study?
You can withdraw from the study at any point until 10th August 2026, without having to give a reason. If any questions during the focus group make you feel uncomfortable, you do not have to answer them[1]. Withdrawing from the study will have no effect on you. If you withdraw from the study we will not retain the information you have given thus far, unless you are happy for us to do so.
5. What will my information be used for?
We will use the collected information to help us decide how to develop our ideas for programme changes and new programmes. Specifically, Sally Stares will conduct a basic thematic analysis of the focus group discussions and write a short report of the results. That report will be circulated to staff in the Department and used to inform our discussions around proposals for any new programmes and/or programme changes. If/when we apply to the relevant School committees with those proposals, we will include Sally’s report as part of our evidence base.
6. Will my taking part and my data be kept confidential? Will it be anonymised?
The records from this study will be kept as confidential as possible. Only Sally Stares (conducting the focus groups) and Olivia Talland (organising the practical arrangements for the focus groups) will have access to the files and any audio tapes. Your data will be anonymised – your name will not be used in any reports resulting from the study. All digital files, transcripts and summaries will be given codes and stored separately from any names or other direct identification of participants. Any hard copies of research information will be kept in locked files at all times.
Limits to confidentiality: confidentiality will be maintained as far as it is possible. In the unlikely event that you tell us something which implies that you or someone you mention might be in significant danger of harm and unable to act for themselves, we may have to inform the relevant agencies of this, but we would discuss this with you first.
7. Who has reviewed this study?
This study has undergone ethics review in accordance with the LSE Research Ethics Policy and Procedure for Insitutional Research, Analysis and Evaluation projects.
8. Data Protection Privacy Notice
The LSE Research Privacy Policy can be found at:
The legal basis used to process your personal data will be “Public Task”. The legal basis used to process special category personal data (e.g. data that reveals racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sex life or sexual orientation, genetic or biometric data) will be for scientific and historical research or statistical purposes.
To request a copy of the data held about you please contact: glpd.info.rights@lse.ac.uk
9. What if I have a question or complaint?
If you have any questions regarding this study please contact the researcher, Dr Sally Stares, on s.r.stares@lse.ac.uk.
If you have any concerns or complaints regarding the conduct of this research, please contact the LSE Research Governance Manager via research.ethics@lse.ac.uk.
If you are happy to take part in this study, please indicate your consent on the Microsoft Form.
[1] Although we hope that the discussion would not touch on sensitive issues, if you find that the research make you recall events that are distressing or that you want to talk about with somebody, you can find information on LSE’s Wellbeing support here: https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/student-wellbeing