Ethical dilemmas regarding the right to re-use questionnaires

Abstract

A questionnaire is a predetermined set of questions used to collect data of interest. The use of questionnaires in biomedical sciences has been continually rising in recent years, both in epidemiological research and in clinical work. Questionnaires are created by experts in the relevant field who use data from the literature. Using a previously created, validated and published questionnaire saves time and resources and enables comparison of results with those of other studies in which the questionnaire had already been used. Any measuring instrument or material found on a website, journal or other medium of expression is assumed to be copyrighted, and it is the legal and ethical responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission to use, modify and/or reproduce that measuring instrument. When requesting permission, it is necessary for the researcher to introduce themselves, state the institution where they work and carefully explain the reason and purpose of requesting permission to use the questionnaire and permission to translate and validate the questionnaire in a new population. After obtaining permission to use the questionnaire/ scale, the ethical issue of its adequate translation and cultural adaptation and its revalidation in the new population in which it is applied arises. It is necessary to save the obtained permission for the use and/or reproduction of the instrument, whether it is a copy of the correspondence or a contract, as proof that the researchers have the legal right to use the instrument. Not obtaining the appropriate permission to use the questionnaire/scale can result in non-publication of the research results, as journal editors will not publish work unless they are provided with proof of the permission to use the questionnaire, as well as withdrawal of the work from publication, or fine