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Study: Size of the male sex organ and experiences, and perception of self-esteem, sexual competence, tendency to use condoms, and anxiety about size

Expiration Date: May 8, 2019

This submission has been approved by the Missouri State University Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the period indicated.


Informed Consent

You are being invited to take part in a research study regarding your perceptions and experiences as a man in the United States with regard to penis size.



You are being asked to provide both measurements of your penis erect and flaccid, and photographic evidence of those measurements.



If you volunteer to take part in this study, you will be one of about 3,600 people to do so.

Your participation in this study are greatly valued and appreciated. We cannot do this work without the generosity of your contribution.



The person in charge of this study is Dr. Alicia M. Walker of Missouri State University, Department of Sociology. She is assisted by Thatcher G. Fitzgerald.



By doing this study, we hope to learn how men navigate their experiences in terms of self-esteem, sexual competence, tendency to use condoms, and anxiety about penis size or performance.



The interviews will be conducted via email or phone.

The survey will be conducted through Qualtrics.



During this time, you will be asked some questions about your penis size—both girth and length, past sexual experiences, and your perceptions of those experiences.



Additionally, you will be asked to provide accurate measurements of both girth and length, and provide photographic evidence of said measurements. The photographic evidence should not include any other identifying features (i.e. your face) so as to protect your anonymity.



You may find some questions I ask you to be upsetting or stressful. If so, we can tell you about some people who may be able to help you with these feelings. Please be aware that certain questions may be skipped if they make you upset or uncomfortable.


You may experience some psychological discomfort when answering questions about your penis size and sexual experiences. You may experience some anxiety around measuring and providing photographic documentation of the measurements of your penis length and girth.

Should discomfort and anxiety occur, the researcher can provide you with mental health resources to help you process these feelings.


You will not get any personal benefit from taking part in this study. However, you will be contributing to the creation of scientific knowledge concerning both penis size and the experience of having a penis. This research is poised to have a significant impact in terms of broadening our knowledge base, and you can contribute to that.



If you decide to take part in the study, it should be because you really want to volunteer. You will not lose any benefits or rights you would normally have if you choose not to volunteer. You can stop at any time during the study.


There are no costs associated with taking part in the study.

You will not receive any rewards or payment for taking part in the study.


We will make every effort to keep private all research records that identify you to the extent allowed by law. The pictures you provide as photographic evidence will NOT be shared with anyone outside of the study personnel. They will NOT be used in presentations or publications resulting from this data. All photographs are uploaded during your survey completion. Qualtrics personnel cannot access the survey data collected. Only Dr. Alicia M. Walker has the password to the data files.


All survey information--including the pictures--are identified ONLY by a case number. There are no names or emails or other identifying information attached to this data.


We will combine your information with information from other people taking part in the study. When we write about the study to share it with other researchers, we will write about the combined information we have gathered. You will not be personally identified in these written materials. We may publish the results of this study; however, we will keep your name and other identifying information private.


The information you share with us will only ever be stored and identified by a pseudonym known only to the both of us. The data will stored electronically on my personal desktop in a password-protected file. The interview tapes generated from phone interviews are identified solely by a pseudonym chosen by me. All the data will be stored in password-protected files for six years. At that point, it will be destroyed.


We will make every effort to prevent anyone who is not on the research team from knowing that you gave us information, or what that information is.


We will keep private all research records that identify you to the extent allowed by law. However, there are some circumstances in which we may have to show your information to other people. For example, the law may require us to show your information to a court or to tell authorities if you report information about a **** being **** or if you pose a danger to yourself or someone else.


Also, we may be required to show information which identifies you to people who need to be sure we have done the research correctly; these would be people from such organizations as Missouri State University.


If you decide to take part in the study you still have the right to decide at any time that you no longer want to continue. You will not be treated differently if you decide to stop taking part in the study.


The individuals conducting the study may need to withdraw you from the study. This may occur if they find that your being in the study is more risk than benefit to you.



Before you decide whether to accept this invitation to take part in the study, please ask any questions that might come to mind now. Later, if you have questions, suggestions, concerns, or complaints about the study, you can contact the investigator, Dr. Alicia M. Walker at 417-836-5208. If you have any questions about your rights as a volunteer in this research, contact the staff in the Office of Research Integrity at Missouri State University at 417-836-5972 or researchadministration@missouristate.edu.



Consider this your informed consent.

Thank you for your consideration.