WNCPRS members believe that clients should be treated with respect and honesty. With the Informed Consent Form we are clearly explaining what we as investigators will do and what should be expected from us as professionals.
Informed Consent Form
Title of Research: Paranormal
Investigation
Bef ore agreeing to participate in this investigation,
it is important that you read the following informed consent form. This
statement describes the purpose, procedures, benef its,
risks, confid entiality, your right
to withdraw from the investigation at any time, cost, where to direct
questions, and final agreement. No guarantees or assurances can be made as to
the results of the investigation.
Purpose of the Investigation
This investigation is designed to examine
the experiences you, family, or friends have had in your home or on your property.
Explanation of Procedures
Participation in
the investigation involves completion of a short demographic data collection
sheet, one pre-investigation interview, one post-investigation interview, and
the investigation itself. The first interview will be audio taped or
transcribed by the interviewer for the purpose of data analysis. The second interview
will be to show you our findings; we may record this interview for
documentation purposes only. All interviews will be conducted at a setting that
is mutually agreeable to you, the participant, and the interviewer.
A daytime
walkthrough of the site will be conducted the day of or before the scheduled
investigation. This walkthrough will consist of sketches of the property,
nonpermanent markings in areas of interest for voice recorders or cameras, and
identifying danger areas to the investigators. The investigation will be
conducted between dusk and dawn or at a time that is convenient for you.
It is
recommended that children do not remain at the home or property during the
investigation and all animals be confined to a designated area if possible. You
are not required to remain on the property during the investigation but if you
choose to do so WNCPRS accepts no responsibility for any damage or harm to you
or property. Once the investigation is complete, you will be notified and
allowed to return to your home or property if you chose to leave. We will then
analyze all data at our office and you will be informed of our findings at the
second interview generally within two weeks.
All
investigators are prohibited from making designations as to a “haunting” or
“paranormal activity” until after you have been informed of our findings. To
protect your privacy all investigators are prohibited from mentioning your
name, address, phone number, and other private information to anyone not
involved in the investigation. Non-identifying data findings may be posted on
our website for informational purposes only. We will never disclose your private information without your permission.
Benefits
The anticipated
benefit of participation is the opportunity to discuss feelings, perceptions,
and concerns related to the experience.
Risks
There are no
risks that are anticipated from your participation in the investigation.
Potential risks include possible emotions when asked questions during the
interview process or damage to personal property during the investigation.
WNCPRS and its
investigators are NOT responsible
for emotional distress or damage to personal property. WNCPRS and its
investigators will NOT hold you, the
property owner, responsible for damage to equipment or injury to us. Every
precaution will be taken to avoid damage to any property either owned by you or
WNCPRS as well as any personal injury.
Confid entiality
The private information
gathered during this investigation will remain confid ential.
Only the founder of WNCPRS and/or designated investigators will have access to
the investigation data and information. The results of the investigation will
be published in the form of webpage data with your express written permission.
I
_____________________________ do hereby give my consent for the information
found on my property to be published by WNCPRS. I understand that none of my
personal private information will be published and my name may be changed. I
understand that I will be notified when and where the information is published.
I
_____________________________ do NOT
give my consent for the information found on my property to be published by
WNCPRS. I understand that non-identifying data (i.e. EVPs, Pictures, or video) can
still be used for further research and may be published.
Withdrawal without Prejudice
Participation in this
investigation is voluntary for both WNCPRS and you. Refusal to participate will
involve no penalty by either party. Each participant is free to withdraw
consent and discontinue participation in this investigation at any time without
prejudice.
Cost and/or Payment to Subject for Participation in Investigation
There will be no cost for participation
in the investigation as participation is voluntary. Participants will not be
paid to take part in the investigation. Donations will be accepted only by the founders of WNCPRS and all
proceeds will be used to help defray the costs of the investigation.
Questions
Those parties with
any questions concerning the investigation, the investigators, or any concerns
in general are encouraged to email WNCPRS at WNCParanormalResearch@gmail.com.
For immediate issues/emergencies please call Nichole
Hill at 000-000-0000 (co-founder).
Agreement
This agreement
states that you have received a copy of this informed consent as well as a copy
of our code of conduct. Your signature below indicates that you agree to
participate in the investigation.
Participants
Signature Date
Participants Printed
Name
