What attracts readers to Wattpad?

You are invited to participate in a web-based online questionnaire on what attracts readers to Wattpad.

This project is being undertaken as part of a Masters of Editing & Publishing program.

The purpose of this project is to determine the factors that attract readers to Wattpad.

Your participation will involve completion of an online questionnaire that will take approximately 20 minutes of your time.

Questions will include: ‘On average, how much time (per session) do you spend reading on Wattpad?’

Your participation in this project is entirely voluntary. If you do not wish to take part, you are not obliged to. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the project at any stage. If you do wish to withdraw from this project, please contact the Research Team (contact details at the top of this form).

Your decision whether you take part, do not take part, or to take part and then withdraw, will in no way impact your current or future relationship with the University of Southern Queensland.

It is expected that this project will not directly benefit you. However, it may benefit publishing houses who may wish to use the data to alter or change their reading platforms to match readers’ reading practices and thus attract larger audiences. Publishers may also incorporate certain characteristics of Wattpad into their own publishing practices, such as allowing readers to provide feedback on books. Authors may also benefit from this study by being made aware of the changes in reading habits.

In participating in the questionnaire, there are no anticipated risks beyond participants giving up their time.

All comments and responses will be treated confidentially unless required by law.

The names of individual persons are not required in any of the responses.

Participants will be able to access the results after they have been published by contacting the Principal Investigator.

The data will not be made available for future use. However, the data will be retained for a minimum of five years, after which all data will be deleted. The researcher will be the only person who has access to the data.

Any data collected as a part of this project will be stored securely as per University of Southern Queensland’s Research Data Management policy.

Clicking on the ‘Submit’ button at the conclusion of the questionnaire is accepted as an indication of your consent to participate in this project.

Please refer to the Research Team Contact Details at the top of the form to have any questions answered or to request further information about this project.