You are invited to take part in this research study. The information in this consent letter is meant to help you decide whether or not to participate. It will take you 5 minutes or less to complete the TickSpotters submission form. You will be asked to upload a photo of the specimen you encountered, answer questions about your encounter, and to include your email address. We will review your information, the specimen photo, and respond with an identification and risk assessment specific to that tick species and feeding duration. We will provide specific prevention suggestions as well as information on tick testing laboratories. Our response to you is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. We cannot diagnose tick-borne disease or make treatment recommendations. If you are experiencing disease symptoms, please consult a physician. There are no known risks to participating in this survey, nor compensation. Using a citizen-science, passive tick surveillance approach is expected to 1) provide a more robust and complete picture of tick distributions, 2) help provide target locations for active surveillance, and 3) identify people with tick encounters may be asked additional questions to help us better understand where and how tick encounters occur. Other benefits of participating in our study, however, may include learning about tick ecology, biology, and tick bite prevention strategies.

Your personal information will be strictly confidential, and responses de-identified. The responses may be used in research papers and included in tick count aggregations, maps, and graphs to be displayed to the public. The decision to participate in this study is entirely voluntary. You may refuse to take part in the study at any time without affecting your relationship with the investigators of this study or the University of Rhode Island (URI) and it’s academic collaborators (Western Connecticut State University). Your decision will not result in any loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You may receive additional invitations from TickEncounter or their academic collaborators to participate in brief surveys about your tick encounter experiences.

You have the right not to answer any single question, as well as to withdraw completely from the survey at any point during the process; additionally, you have the right to request that the researchers not use any of your responses. You have the right to ask questions about this research study and to have those questions answered by me before, during or after the research. For questions about the study contact Dr. Thomas Mather from the Plant Sciences and Entomology Department/College of Environment and Life Sciences, at 401-874-2928.

Additionally, you may contact the URI Institutional Review Board (IRB) if you have questions regarding your rights as a research participant. Also contact the IRB if you have questions, complaints or concerns which you do not feel you can discuss with the investigator. The University of Rhode Island IRB may be reached by phone at (401) 874-4328 or by e-mail at researchintegrity@etal.uri.edu. You may also contact the URI Vice President for Research and Economic Development by phone at (401) 874-4576.

If you would like to keep a copy of this document for your records, please print or save this page now. You may also contact the researcher to request a copy.