Simon -
You might want to consider some of the following aspects of this.
1. Do you need permission from the authors of the instruments? This
may be a copyright issue, or a licensing issue. I have worked for state
government in Minnesota for a number of years. When I purchased
instruments from academics, I had to pay per person for them. If I
develop my own instrument and deliver it via paper or web-based
vehicles, I pay nothing but the price of the software service and
elbow-grease in analysis.
2. You may need permission from the agency to conduct the surveys.
The agency head or his/her office should be able to tell you this. An
ethics office might have some say. In Minnesota, we have state laws
that govern the type of data that will be gathered, i.e., public,
private, protected, not protected. Some of that is on the order of
"permission."
3. I have found in conducting surveys with our state colleges and
universities that I have to check with an institutional IRB to conduct
some surveys. In any case, people should always be told they can refuse
to answer, which means that they in a sense give you "permission" as
well.
Hope this helps.
Julie
Julie Smendzuik-O'Brien, M.P.A., CQM
Organizational Improvement Program Coordinator
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Office of Internal Auditing
Wells Fargo Place
30 7th St. E., Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101-7804
voice: 651-649-5753
fax: 651-296-8488
email:
julie.smendzuik@so.mnscu.edu
>>> Simon Tidd <
simon.tidd@STATE.TN.US> 5/8/2006 2:26:37 PM >>>
I've recently joined a state agency as an applied researcher. I'd like
to
use scales from academic journals as part of internal evaluation
processes
(surveys, etc.). Can anyone tell me if I need to get permission for
this
type of use? My past experience has been using scales solely for
research
purposes as an academic.
Many thanks,
Simon Tidd, Ph.D.