Research Participant Notice and Consent
For: people taking part in Vitark's field research.
In brief
We are doing research to understand how ordinary people in India deal with legal problems. Taking part is your choice. You can stop at any time. We will not use your name. What you tell us will not be shared with any court, police officer, lawyer or government office.
1. Who we are
The research is carried out by TLY SOFT PRIVATE LIMITED, CIN U62013DC2026PTC473011, of Innov8 Harsha Bhawan, 4th Floor, 13/29 E-Block, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001. The Company operates Vitark, an Indian legal research platform.
The research is led by Dr. Nainy Rao, Principal Investigator, Research and Impact, who holds a Ph.D. from the Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
2. Why we are doing this
We want to understand what actually happens to a person with a legal problem: what they were afraid of, who they asked, what it cost them, how long it took, and what they wish they had known at the start. We want to know this for people whose experience never reaches a website or an app, which is why we come to you in person rather than asking online.
We use what we learn to build a better product and to measure whether it helps. We also publish findings, in the anonymised form described below.
3. What taking part involves
Depending on the study, we may ask you to:
- answer questions in a conversation lasting about 30 to 60 minutes;
- fill in a short survey;
- take part in a group discussion with other people; or
- let us observe a public process, such as a queue or a help desk, without recording anything about you personally.
We may ask to make an audio recording so that we do not have to rely on notes. You can say no to the recording and still take part.
4. Taking part is voluntary
- You do not have to take part.
- You can refuse any question and continue with the rest.
- You can stop at any time, without giving a reason.
- You can withdraw afterwards. Tell us within 30 days and we will remove what you told us. After that point your words may already be inside an anonymised analysis from which they cannot be separated, and we will tell you honestly if that is the case.
Refusing or withdrawing costs you nothing. It does not affect any service you receive from us or from the institution where we met you.
5. What we collect, and what we do not
We collect what you tell us about your experience, and only the background details a study actually needs, such as your district, your approximate age band, your occupation type and the kind of legal problem you faced.
We do not want, and ask you not to give us:
- your Aadhaar number, PAN, bank details or any password;
- case numbers or documents from a matter that is still running, unless a study specifically needs them and you are told so; or
- information about another person who has not agreed to take part.
If you give us any of these by accident, we remove it.
6. How we protect what you tell us
- Your name is replaced with a code before analysis. The people who analyse the material see "Respondent 41", not your name.
- The list linking names to codes is kept separately, is restricted to the research lead, and is destroyed at the end of the study.
- Nothing we publish will name you, your employer, or the institution where we met you, without your separate written permission.
- An automated check runs before anything is published, and it blocks any quotation that still contains a real name. A quotation must be individually cleared by a person before it can appear in public material. Quotations that have not been cleared cannot be published at all.
- Recordings are stored securely and are deleted once transcribed and checked, and in any event within 90 days.
7. Where your words might appear
If a quotation of yours is cleared, it may appear in:
- research reports and academic publications;
- material we give to universities, funders or government bodies;
- our website, marketing material or social media.
It will appear as, for example: "Respondent 41, tenant, Delhi, 2026." Never with your name.
You can ask us not to quote you at all, and still take part in the research. Say so on the consent form.
8. The limits of confidentiality
We will keep what you tell us confidential. There are limits, and we would rather tell you now than surprise you later.
If you tell us something indicating that a child is being harmed, or that someone is at immediate risk of serious harm, we may have to act on it, including by informing an appropriate authority. Where we can, we will tell you first.
We will not, in any circumstance, hand your information to a court, a police officer, an opposing party or a government office because they have asked us for it in connection with your matter. If we are ever compelled by law to disclose anything, we will tell you unless we are prohibited from doing so.
9. What you get
Taking part is unpaid. Where a study requires you to travel or to lose working time, we may reimburse your actual costs, and that is a reimbursement and not a payment for your answers.
We will share the findings of the study with the institution where we met you, and with you on request. If you want a copy, tell the researcher.
10. Questions, or a complaint
Ask the researcher anything, at any point.
To raise a concern afterwards, or to withdraw:
Dr. Nainy Rao, Principal Investigator, Research and Impact — write to ask@vitark.ai, marked for her attention.
Or the Grievance Officer, TLY SOFT PRIVATE LIMITED
Innov8 Harsha Bhawan, 4th Floor, 13/29 E-Block, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001
We acknowledge within 48 hours.
11. Consent form
To be completed by the participant. One copy for the participant, one for the researcher.
Study: ______________________________ Date: ______________
Researcher present: ______________________________
Please tick each box you agree with.
- [ ] The purpose of this research has been explained to me, and I have had the chance to ask questions.
- [ ] I understand that taking part is voluntary and that I can stop at any time without giving a reason.
- [ ] I understand that my name will not be used, and that my words will be identified only by a code.
- [ ] I agree to take part.
Optional, and refusing any of these does not stop you taking part:
- [ ] I agree to an audio recording being made.
- [ ] I agree that anonymised quotations of mine may be published.
- [ ] I do not want to be quoted at all.
Participant name: ______________________________
Signature or thumb impression: ______________________________
Contact, only if you want the findings or wish to withdraw later: ______________________________
Researcher signature: ______________________________
12. Oral consent, where the participant cannot read
Used where a participant cannot read the form. Read aloud in the participant's language. A witness who is not a member of the research team must be present.
I work for a company called Vitark. We are trying to understand what happens to people when they face a legal problem, so that we can build something that helps.
I would like to ask you about your experience. It will take about 30 minutes. There is no payment.
You do not have to do this. If you do not want to, that is completely fine and nothing happens. If you start and then want to stop, you can stop at any time, and you do not have to tell me why. If I ask something you do not want to answer, just say so and we will move on.
I will not use your name anywhere. If I write down something you said, I will write it as "a tenant from this district", not as your name. Nobody from any court, police station or government office will be told what you said.
May I record our conversation so that I do not have to write while you speak? You can say no and we can still talk.
Do you have any questions for me?
Do you agree to take part?
Participant agreed: [ ] Yes [ ] No
Recording agreed: [ ] Yes [ ] No
Witness name and signature: ______________________________
Researcher name and signature: ______________________________
Date and place: ______________________________
TLY SOFT PRIVATE LIMITED | CIN U62013DC2026PTC473011
Registered office: Innov8 Harsha Bhawan, 4th Floor, 13/29 E-Block, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001