Haunting

Have you had an out-of-body experience?

Are you over 18? Have had such an experience and are interested in exploring your experience further; as well as helping academia gain a better understanding of the phenomenon? I’d be very grateful if you would fill in an online survey on your experience.

Before you decide whether you want to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what will be involved. Please take the time to read the following information carefully.

Who is conducting the research?

The project is being conducted by Ross Bartlett, as part of his research degree in psychology at Buckinghamshire New University.

What is the purpose of the study?

Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs) can be most simply defined as any form of experience where, to the individual, there is a sense of having separated from the body. This survey will investigate if there is evidence that there is more than one form of OBE, and thus, a rationale for establishing separate categories and causes for OBEs.

What is involved in participating?

You will be asked to answer a number of questions. There are no right or wrong answers and it is not a test. The questions will simply explore your OBE and explore possible characteristics of OBEs. There are 4 main sections named A,B,C,D. It should typically only take between 30 to 35 minutes of your time. However, some people take a bit less time and some a bit more. There is a progress bar that will highlight how far you are towards completing the survey.

Will what I say or do in this study be kept confidential?

You will not be asked to give your name or any identification during the questionnaire, and all the information you give will be anonymous and confidential. Only the researcher and his supervisors will have access to the data, which will be stored by the researcher in accordance with the Buckinghamshire New University policy on data security.

The raw survey data will be stored securely on the Qualtrics research data-gathering platform, where it is protected by high-end firewall systems. Data files of the raw data will also be stored on a password-protected computer. The raw data will be analysed using the IBM SPSS Statistics software. The resulting analysed data files will also be stored on a password-protected computer.

The anonymised data will be used for a thesis and may form part of a published article and/or conference/seminar paper. The data generated in the course of the research will be destroyed once the thesis has been examined, or if the data is likely to be used for a publication and/or conference/seminar paper, it will be transferred to a supervisor and kept for a period of ten years after the completion of the research project.

At the end of the questionnaire, you will be asked to indicate if you are open to being interviewed about your experience at a later date. Should you select yes, you will be waiving your right to anonymity for the survey and will be asked to fill in personal contact information. It is up to you to decide whether you are open to this, as participation is entirely voluntary. You are free to withdraw your consent to be contacted regarding being interviewed, at any time, by contacting the researcher and without giving a reason.

Do I have to take part in the survey?

No, it is up to you to decide whether to take part, as participation is entirely voluntary. If you do decide to take part you will be asked to indicate on the online questionnaire that you have read this and give consent to take part. You are still free to withdraw at any time, up to two weeks after completing the survey, without giving a reason and without penalty. To do this, you can email the researcher anonymously through: http://anonymouse.org/anonemail.html and quote your anonymity code, which will be generated at the start of the questionnaire and state you wish to withdraw from the study.

What are the possible benefits and risks of taking part?

Benefits of taking part in this study include aiding research into the understanding of OBEs and our understanding of the mind. The main beneficiary of the study is the researcher, who will use the data for his research degree programme. No risks are anticipated in taking part in this study.

If you would like to take the survey now, please click on this link to give your consent and begin. https://buckspsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cCQ86SFsYgMaSG1

Who has reviewed the study?

The Research and Ethics Committee at Buckinghamshire New University has approved this study.

If you have any questions regarding this study, please contact either:

Researcher: Ross Bartlett Email: ross.bartlett@bucks.ac.uk

Supervisor: Dr Matthew Smith Email: matthew.smith@bucks.ac.uk

Supervisor: Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe Email: ciaran.okeeffe@bucks.ac.uk

Supervisor: Dr Piers Worth Email: piers.worth@bucks.ac.uk

Department of Psychology

Buckinghamshire New University Queen Alexandra Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP11 2JZ

Tel.: 01494 522 141

You can email the researcher or supervisor anonymously through http://anonymouse.org/anonemail.html

If you would like to take the survey now, please click on this link to give your consent and begin. https://buckspsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cCQ86SFsYgMaSG1