READY Study
Research Privacy Notice

The University of Manchester is required to inform people about the ways in which we use their personal information. This page shows the Easy Read version. You can also watch the full BSL video or download the full document. 

General Information

As part of our commitment to research integrity, the University of Manchester follows the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).

This means that by law, anyone wanting to collect your information must have a legal reason to do so and when the information is more sensitive an extra legal reason is needed. The law allows us as researchers to collect your information under two legal reasons:

• A task carried out in the public interest;

And for more sensitive information:

• Where the information is necessary for scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes.

What is Personal Data (personal information)?

Personal data means any information which can identify you.  It can include items such as your name, gender, date of birth, address/postcode or other information such as your opinions or thoughts. The specific information that the researcher wishes to obtain from you is listed on the participant information sheet.

What is sensitive information (special category data)?

Researchers may process some information about you that is considered to be ‘sensitive’ and this is called ‘special category’ personal data. This includes, but is not limited to, information such as your ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious beliefs or details about your health. These types of personal information require additional protections which the University ensures are in place.

Who is responsible for my personal information?

The University of Manchester is the Data Controller for this study. This means it is responsible for protecting your information and making sure it is:

1. Kept securely and confidentially;
2. Used only in the way the researchers tell you it will be used.

Who will my personal information be shared with?

Your personal information will be kept confidential and will be pseudonymised (this means that we will generate a secret code for you and make sure that your name and contact details are stored in a different place to the rest of the information you give us).

Both your name and contact details as well as the pseudonymised information will only be shared with members of the research team in order to conduct the project. If they need to share your information with anyone else, you will be told who they are and why this is the case in the participant information sheet.

How long will you keep my personal information?

Any personal information which has been pseudonymised will be kept for 6 years for the purposes of this research project only.

If you agree, at the end of the study we will fully anonymise your data and put it into a safe data archive so that other researchers can use it. It will be impossible for anyone to link your personal information to the collection of answers that are put in the archive. We will not transfer your personal details (such as your name and your contact details) to the archive. 

Your rights

By law, you have a number of rights regarding the personal information we hold about you. These include the right to:

• See the information/receive a copy of the information
• Correct any incorrect information
• Have the information deleted
• Limit or raise concerns to the processing of your information
• Move your information

These rights only apply to your information before it is anonymised as once this happens we can no longer identify your specific information. Sometimes your rights may be limited if it would prevent or delay the research. If this happens you will be informed and have the right to complain about this to the Information Commissioner.

Who can I contact?

If you have any questions about the information in this document please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer, Alex Daybank or write to:

The Data Protection Officer
Information Governance Office
Christie Building
University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester M13 9PL

Privacy Notice in BSL