ManyGraphs: Crowd-Sourced Causal Models Of Self-determination Theory
Dr Nick Ballou Prof Sebastian Deterding Dr Caspar van Lissa Dr Ranran Li
Invitation paragraph
You are being invited to take part in a research study exploring how self-determination theory (SDT) researchers understand and represent the theory's core causal relationships. Before you decide whether to participate, please take time to read the following information carefully. It explains why the research is being done, what participation involves, and what will happen to your data.
Please feel free to discuss this with colleagues if you wish, and do not hesitate to contact us if anything is unclear or if you would like further information. There is no pressure to participate — take as long as you need to decide.
Thank you for considering taking part.
Do I have to take part?
Taking part in this study is entirely voluntary. If you decide to take part, you will be given this information sheet to keep and asked to confirm your consent before beginning. You are free to withdraw at any time and without giving a reason.
Your responses are stored pseudonymously: they are linked to a randomly generated participant ID rather than your name or any other identifying information.
Your participant ID is [PID]. This ID will be displayed at the end of the study — please keep a note of it if you wish to withdraw your data.
You may request withdrawal of your data at any time prior to public release on Zenodo by contacting n.ballou@imperial.ac.uk with your participant ID.
Once the dataset has been released, withdrawal will no longer be possible as the data will be publicly archived. We anticipate that data will be publicly released on approximately December 1, 2026, and no earlier than September 15, 2026.
If you withdraw before submitting, no data will have been recorded.
##What is the purpose of the study?
This study aims to map areas of consensus and disagreement among SDT researchers about the theory's core causal structure, by asking researchers to draw their understanding of SDT as a causal diagram using a purpose-built web application.
Why have I been invited?
You are receiving this invitation because you have been identified as an SDT researcher, either through attendance at the SDT 2026 conference in Geneva or via an SDT-focused academic mailing list. We aim to recruit between 100 and 200 participants.
What will happen to me if I take part?
Participation involves a single online session lasting approximately 10–20 minutes. You will be asked to complete a short demographic questionnaire and then use a web application to construct a causal diagram representing your understanding of SDT — selecting theoretical constructs and rating the relationships between them.
Your responses will be stored pseudonymously on an Imperial College London server, linked only to a randomly generated participant ID. If you choose to provide your email address, this will be stored separately from your diagram data and used only to notify you of results and to enter you into a prize draw for 1 of 5 £50 gift cards.
What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?
There are no significant risks associated with taking part.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
There is no direct benefit to you from participating. However, the results may benefit the broader SDT research community by providing a shared, transparent resource for more precise and comparable theory testing.
What if something goes wrong?
If you are harmed by taking part in this research project, there are no special compensation arrangements. If you are harmed due to someone’s negligence, then you may have grounds for a legal action. Regardless of this, if you wish to complain, or have any concerns about any aspect of the way you have been treated during the course of this study then you should immediately inform the Investigator (Nick Ballou, n.ballou@imperial.ac.uk). If you are still not satisfied with the response, you may contact the Imperial College Research Governance Integrity Team (rgitcoordinator@imperial.ac.uk).
What will happen to the results of the research study?
Results will be written up and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal; we expect to submit by early 2027. The anonymised dataset will be made publicly available on Zenodo at the time of publication. You will not be identified in any report or publication. If you have provided your email address, you will be notified when the manuscript is available. If after providing your email, you would prefer not to receive this notification, you may contact n.ballou@imperial.ac.uk at any time.
• Who is organising and funding the research? This study is funded by the Huo Family Foundation Early Career Fellowship and an Imperial College Research Fellowship awarded to Dr Nick Ballou.
• Who has reviewed the study? The Principal Investigator has obtained approval from the Head of Department and favourable opinion from the Science, Engineering and Technology Research Ethics Committee (SETREC), reference number 8331188.
Contact for Further Information
For any questions about this study, please contact Nick Ballou at n.ballou@imperial.ac.uk. If you wish to complain or raise a concern, please contact Imperial's Research Governance and Integrity team at rgitcoordinator@imperial.ac.uk.
A copy of this information sheet will be available for you to download and keep, along with a record of your consent.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Transparency Notice
SUMMARY INFORMATION SHEET
In this research study we (Imperial College London) will use information from you. We will only use information that we need for the research study. We will let very few people know your name or contact details, and only if they really need it for this study. These people will include Imperial Research Team members and support staff.
Everyone involved in this study will keep the data collated as part of this study, including your personal data, safe and secure. We will also follow all privacy laws and legislation that are relevant to the specifics of the study.
At the end of the study we will create an anonymized version of the data for analysis and for public sharing in line with open research standards.
We will make sure no-one can work out who you are from the reports we write. The following information pack tells you more about this.
How will we use information about you?
Research Study Title: ManyGraphs: Crowd-Sourced Causal Models of Self-determination Theory SETREC Number: 8331188
Imperial College London is the sponsor for this study and will act as the data Controller for this study. Being a Data Controller means that we are responsible for looking after your information and using it appropriately plus are responsible for explaining this to you. Imperial College London will keep your personal data for:
• 10 years after the study has finished in relation to data subject consent forms. • 1 year after the study has finished in relation to the email address you (optionally) provided to be entered in the voucher raffle
The study is expected to finish in April 2027.
For more information / confirmation regarding the end date please contact the study team, see ‘WHERE CAN YOU FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS USED’ for contact information.
We will need to use information (including personal data and data created as part of the study) from you for this research project. This information includes your causal diagram responses and demographic data, and optionally your email address. People within the Imperial College London study team (see section 'Sharing your information with others') will use this information to conduct the research and ensure it is being done properly.
People who do not need to know who you are will not be able to see your name or contact details. Your data will have a code number instead. Email addresses, if provided, are stored separately from your research data and cannot be linked to it. Imperial College London is the sponsor of this research and is responsible for looking after your information. We will keep this information about you safe and secure by:
• Storing all data on a dedicated Imperial College London server, accessible only to the named research team via SSH key-based authentication • Implementing robust pseudonymisation, with research data linked only to a randomly generated participant ID • Storing email addresses in a separate database table from research data, with access restricted to the principal investigator • Transmitting all data over encrypted connections
Some of your information may be sent outside the UK (see section 'International Transfers' and 'Sharing your information with others'). They must follow our rules about keeping your information safe.
Once we have finished the study, anonymised research data, excluding email addresses, will be archived on Zenodo as open data. We will write our reports in a way that no-one can work out that you took part in the study.
LEGAL BASIS
As a university we use personal information to conduct research that will either be in the public interest, or the ‘legitimate interests’ of Imperial College whose interests are to conduct world leading research and innovation aiming to deliver transformative impact for society. Our legal basis for using your information under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, is as follows:
• Imperial College London - “performance of a task carried out in the public interest”
We will conduct scientific research in compliance with the law and the recommendations and guidance published by the UK Information Commissioners Office (ICO). This will follow similar rules to health and social care research but may not meet the definition of the College’s public interest task or requirement. In such cases we will be holding and using your data for what are called our “legitimate interests” where, as previously stated, the College aims to conduct world leading research and innovation aiming to deliver transformative impact for society. Scientific research should serve the public interest, which means that we have to demonstrate that our research has societal impact serving the interests of society as a whole.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS
We may share data about you outside the UK for research related purposes to: • Where necessary to provide access to a data processor / service provider who will utilise your personal data as instructed by us (Tremendous, for prize draw distribution) If this happens, we will only share the data that is needed. We will also make sure you can’t be identified from the data that is shared where possible. This may not be possible under certain circumstances – for instance, if you have a rare illness, it may still be possible to identify you. If your data is shared outside the UK, it will be with the following sorts of organisations: • Tremendous (prize draw gift card distribution), if you provide your email address and are selected • Zenodo (open data repository), for anonymised research data only
We will make sure your data is protected. Anyone who accesses your data outside the UK must do what we tell them so that your data has a similar level of protection as it does under UK law. We will make sure your data is safe outside the UK by doing the following: • Using specific contracts which stipulate that personal data must maintain the same level of protection when outside the UK as it has within the UK. For further details visit the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website — www.ico.org.uk • Not allowing those who access your data outside the UK to use it for anything other than what our written contract with them says • Requiring other organisations to have appropriate security measures to protect your data against accidental loss and unauthorised access, use, changes or sharing • Having procedures in place to deal with any suspected personal data breach. For further details about UK breach reporting rules visit the ICO website — Personal data breaches: a guide | ICO.
SHARING YOUR INFORMATION WITH OTHERS
We will only share your personal data with certain third parties for the purposes referred to in this participant information sheet and by relying on the legal basis for processing your data as set out above.
• Other Imperial College London employees (including staff involved directly with the research study or as part of defined secondary activities which may include support functions, internal audits, ensuring accuracy of contact details etc.), College agents, contractors and service providers (for example, suppliers of printing and mailing services, email communication services or web services, or suppliers who help us carry out any of the activities described above). Our third party service providers are required to enter into data processing agreements with us. We only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our policies.
POTENTIAL USE OF STUDY DATA FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
When you agree to take part in a research study, the information collected either as part of the study or in preparation (such as contact details) may, with your consent, be provided to researchers running other research studies in this organisation and in other organisations. These organisations may be universities or organisations involved in research in this country or abroad. Your information will only be used by organisations and researchers to conduct research in accordance with all relevant legislation including the GDPR (UK GDPR and EU GDPR 2016/679), the Data Protection Act 2018.
This information will not identify you and will not be combined with other information in a way that could identify you, used against you or used to make decisions about you.
WHAT ARE YOUR CHOICES ABOUT HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS USED?
You can stop being part of the study at any time before submitting your responses, in which case no data will have been recorded. After submission, you may request removal of your data at any time before the dataset is publicly released on Zenodo by contacting n.ballou@imperial.ac.uk with your participant ID.
Once the dataset has been released, we will no longer be able to remove your data as it will be publicly archived. If you wish to make any other request regarding your data, please contact n.ballou@imperial.ac.uk and we will tell you whether and how we can accommodate it.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS USED
You can find out more about how we use your information: • by asking one of the research team • by sending an email to n.ballou@imperial.ac.uk, or • by ringing us on +44 (0)20 7589 5111.
COMPLAINT
If you wish to raise a complaint about how we have handled your personal data, please contact the research team first by sending an email to n.ballou@imperial.ac.uk, or by ringing us on +44 (0)20 7589 5111.
Following our response, if you are not satisfied please contact Imperial College London’s Data Protection Officer via email at dpo@imperial.ac.uk, via telephone on 020 7594 3502 and/or via post at Imperial College London, Data Protection Officer, Faculty Building Level 4, London SW7 2AZ.
If you remain unsatisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data in a way that is not lawful you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) via www.ico.org.uk. The ICO does recommend that you seek to resolve matters with the data controller (us) first before involving them.