Investigators:
Brian de Alwis, Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan
Jonathan Sillito, Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary
Carl Gutwin, Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan
This consent form is part of the process of informed consent. It should give you the basic idea of what the research is about and what your participation will involve. If you would like more detail about something mentioned here, or information not included here, please contact us. Please take the time to read this form carefully and to understand any accompanying information.
Version control systems (VCSs) are a key tool for managing the source code for a project. With this study we are attempting to understand the perceived benefits and challenges of using a decentralized or distributed VCS (DVCS) to software development.
In this study you will be asked to complete an online survey about your usage of decentralized or distributed version control systems, such as git, bzr, mercurial, BitKeeper, Code Co-op, monotone. The survey will take up to 20 minutes to complete.
The data collected from this study will be used in articles for publication in journals and conference proceedings. Although we will report direct quotations from the survey, you will be given a pseudonym, and any identifying information that you may divulge (such as a project or corporation name) will be removed from our report.
To participate in the survey, you must be 18 years of age or older.
An increasing number of projects are considering transitioning to using a DVCS. To a large extent these tools determine how easily software developers can contribute to a project without sacrificing quality or introducing undue overhead. Despite their importance, the impact these tools can have on the development work and the trade-offs involved is not yet well studied. The results of this study will provide additional knowledge and guidance for projects considering moving to using a DVCS.
As one way of thanking you for your time, we will be pleased to make available to you a summary of the results of this study once they have been compiled (they will be made available on the HCI web site, hci.usask.ca). This summary will outline the research and discuss our findings and recommendations.
This is an anonymous survey. Any personal information divulged in answering a question will be kept strictly confidential. All of the information we collect from you will be stored so that your name is not associated with it (using an arbitrary participant number). Any write-ups of the data will not include any information that can be linked directly to you.
Our survey is hosted using Google Docs' Survey Tool. The research materials will be stored in a password-protected account hosted by Google Spreadsheets that can only be accessed by the research investigators. Google Spreadsheets does not tie your survey response to any identifying data. The data will be stored by the research supervisor for a minimum of five years. If destroyed after this time, it will be disposed of appropriately.
As Google's corporate headquarters, and many of its servers, are located in the USA, your survey response may be subject to the laws of the USA, including the USA Patriot Act. Google's servers may record additional data, such as your IP address, your browser type, and cookies, however this data will not be visible to the researchers. Please note that this same data is collected for all of Google's services.
Your participation is entirely voluntary. You may refuse to answer individual questions. You may refuse to submit your survey responses. Should you wish to withdraw at a later date, having already submitted a response to the survey, please contact us; you will have to provide us with details from your response to identify the corresponding entry. If you are a student of the University of Saskatchewan, withdrawal from the study will not affect your academic status or your access to services at the university. If you withdraw, your data will be deleted from the study and destroyed.
By clicking 'Proceed to Survey' below, you confirm that you are 18 years of age or older, you consent to participate in the Decentralized VCS study, and you have understood to your satisfaction the information regarding participation in the research project and agree to participate as a participant. In no way does this waive your legal rights nor release the investigators, sponsors, or involved institutions from their legal and professional responsibilities.
If you have further questions about this study or your rights as a participant, please contact:
Brian de Alwis
Department of Computer Science
University of Saskatchewan
brian.de.alwis@usask.ca
This research has the ethical approval of the Research Ethics Office at the University of Saskatchewan. If you have any concerns about your treatment or rights as a research subject, please contact the office at 306-966-2084.