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Frequently Asked Questions

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In this page there are some answers to common questions and issues typically raised by Q-sortware users. If you cannot find what you are looking for, send an email at info@qsortware.net.
It is strongly recommend to browse the slide presentation you received upon the creation of your account, as it is the most exhaustive guide currently available.

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General questions

  1. When my account expires?
  2. Can I use the Q-sortware from a touchscreen device?
  3. Is the Q-sortware free?
  4. How can I cite the Q-sortware?
  5. How do I get support when something is going wrong?
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Ethics

  1. Where my data is stored?
  2. How my privacy is preserved?
  3. Who is able to see my data?
  4. My research is done. Can I cancel my data?
  5. Who is the owner of the Q-sortware?
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Technicalities

  1. I created and saved my Q-sort, but it's not working. Help?
  2. What happens when a procedure is set as 'Public'?
  3. I completed the form to join the Q-sortware a while ago, why I did not receive my credentials?
  4. Why the username I have inserted in the form is not matching the one I received?

General questions

  1. When my account expires?

    From the 25/05/2018, the new GDPR privacy regulations are fully operative, therefore, each Q-sortware subscriber is asked to declare an expiration date for their Q-sortware account. This is called 'The right to be forgotten' section of your application form when joining the Q-sortware. However, you can update/renew your account for free by sending an email at account@qsortware.net before the expiration date.


  2. Can I use the Q-sortware from a touchscreen device?

    The Q-sortware is not working on touch screen devices. Have a look at the Q-sortouch for such functionality. Even if you will be able to access to the website and your personal account from a tablet or a mobile phone, participants will not complete any procedure from those devices.


  3. Is the Q-sortware free?

    The Q-sortware is a free service and software. There are no costs for the creation of accounts, their cancellation, and no fees are applied for the consultation of the manual. There are no limitations in the number of studies, questions, and submissions that can be delivered from an individual account.


  4. How can I cite the Q-sortware?

    Anyone interested in citing the Q-sortware can choose one of the following options:

    1) PhD thesis; Pruneddu, A. (2013) Implicit person theories and Q-sort: Personality change in emerging adults. PhD thesis, University of York. Alessio_Pruneddu_PhD_Thesis_December_2013.pdf.

    2) Poster presented at Q-methodology conference in Birmingham (2011); Pruneddu, A., & Zentner, M. (2011). The "Q-sortware" as a web tool for personality assessment. Poster presented at the 27 th Annual Q conference, Birmingham, UK.

    3) This website; www.qsortware.net.


  5. How do I get support when something is going wrong?

    You can send an email at info@qsortware.net. Please specify a subject with a detailed description of the issue. The use of screenshots is usually a good strategy as it speeds up the understanding.

Ethics

  1. Where my data is stored?

    All the data stored within the Q-sortware webplatform and this website is hosted on a Opalstack server, which is based in Frankfurt, Germany. More information can be found at https://www.opalstack.com/. Occasionaly, maintenance and downtime hours will be schduled as a part of the life of e data center facilities. For this reason we strongly advise to visit the news section of the home page of the website to be updated with the latest information.


  2. How my privacy is preserved?

    The privacy of your participants is guaranteed with the creation of an account protected by a username and a password system. In addition to this, you are entitled to cancel your data at any time. Once data and all the protocols associated with it are cancelled, under no circumstances it is possible to retrieve them. Until that moment, data is stored in a Opalstack server hosted in Frankfurt, as detailed above, (see answer 1 of this section).During the account creation process, it is compulsory for each customer to detail about 'The right to be forgotten' which translate the specific moment in time where you specify the expiration date of your account, even though this can be amended at any time; just send an email at account@qsortware.net and inform us about your decision. You might have noticed that, for a procedure to be saved, you must insert an email at the end of it; however, you can always suggest to your participants to insert a fake one, so that their privacy is preserved. I understand this is not an ideal solution, but it works well. Contact me at info@qsortware.net for further inquiries. A new privacy policy is now generated and available for everyone at the bottom of the Home page. Alternatively, click this link to open the Privacy Policy document.


  3. Who is able to see my data?

    I am (Alessio Pruneddu) the only person behind the Q-sortware. This means that I can potentially go on-line and see your data and I own the personal liabilty associated with this responsibility. Nonetheless, I act with the highest level of integrity, and under no circumstances I provide, share or use any data/information/activity that you do with your account. I am also happy to give you support if your university/ethic committee/institution requires me to sign up/specific documents or personal details (ID card/passport) that might help the approval of your project.


  4. My research is done. Can I cancel my data?

    Yes you can can cancel them at any time. Once this is done, please do remember that under no circumstances data cancelled can be retrieved. In order to cancel data from a given procedure follow these steps:

    1) Log in to your account and go to 'Settings'
    2) Select the procedure you want to remove.
    3) Select the red button called 'Remove Procedure' and confirm your choice.


  5. Who is the owner of the Q-sortware?

    The intellectual property of the source code of the Q-sortware belongs to the University of York and me. However, I am the only person currently running the services associated with the Q-sortware, therefore I can be considered the only person behind it.

Technicalities

  1. I created and saved my Q-sort, but it's not working. Help?

    If the Q-sort you created it's not saved, it likely that some information/settings were not edited correctly in first place. To begin with, make sure every information is given, from the number of statements you want for your Q-set to the number of statements you want for each box; the sum of these two variables must be equal, and for each box you also need to assign a score which will be recorded for future data analysis of your data. This is also the case of those boxes labelled as 'initial'. Even if their score is not retained in the save file, you must insert a value, ANY value, in the corresponding gap. The use of initial boxes is compulsory for every Q-sort task, since the Q-sort administered via the Q-sortware only works with a 'two steps' procedure. For more suggestions, send an email at info@qsortware.net.


  2. What happens when a procedure is set as 'Public'?

    When you select a procedure as 'Public', you will be able to copy and paste the link associated with your procedure to any email. Contrary to the standard strategy, where the link generated by the Q-sortware is closed as soon as the receiver saved his or her data, this link does not expire and an unlimited number of protocols can be submitted. The link for the public procedure is: https://application.qsortware.net/user/USERNAME/


  3. I completed the form to join the Q-sortware a while ago, why I did not receive my credentials?

    While we do our best to provide the best service possible, occasionally the high number of account requests we receive exceeds our ability to give a swift service, therefore it would be best to keep in mind that the account creation might take up to three working days. Also, it is always a good practice to check the ‘spam’ folder of your email account provider, as it is possible that the email generated with your credentials might be directed there. In any other scenario where this process is not going as expected, please send an email at account@sortware.net.


  4. Why the username I have inserted in the form is not matching the one I received?

    Each username must not contain any space, special characters or less than six digits. When any of these criteria is not met, the software generates some random character(s). If that solution does not meet the appreciation of the customer, we invite you to request your account cancellation via account@qsortware.net and complete the form again with a different username.