Postgraduate Research Evaluation Survey (PRES) privacy notice

Information you need to know

The Doctoral Academy is part of Liverpool John Moores University. See further information on the institution.

Liverpool John Moores University is the Data Controller.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

This privacy notice explains how we use your personal information and your rights regarding that information.

For information about how the wider university uses personal data, please see the Privacy notice section of our website.

Information we are collecting

The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) is used to gather feedback about students’ experience of their research degree programme.

If you choose to take part, we will process your responses to survey questions about your postgraduate research experience. We will also use information about you and your research programme that is already held by the university, including:

  • your student ID
  • contact details
  • course information
  • certain demographic characteristics, such as:
    • age
    • ethnicity
    • disability
    • mode of study

This information is used to pre-populate parts of the survey.

You will not be asked to re-enter this information, as it is drawn from existing student records to reduce the length of the survey and improve efficiency.

Source of the personal data

Most of the personal data used for the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey is obtained from the university’s student records system. This includes:

  • identification details, such as:
    • your name
    • student ID
    • email address
  • information about your research degree, such as:
    • programme
    • mode of study
    • school
    • faculty
  • certain demographic data, such as:
    • age
    • gender
    • ethnicity
    • domicile

This information is used to pre-populate parts of the survey, which allows us to:

  • administer the survey
  • invite eligible students to take part
  • reduce the length of the survey
  • ensure the accuracy of information used for analysis

In addition, we collect personal data directly from you through your responses to survey questions about your postgraduate research experience.

Why we are collecting your data and the legal basis for this

The Postgraduate Research Evaluation Survey is used to support quality assurance and quality enhancement of postgraduate research provision. The university processes personal data for this purpose as part of its official public functions, including meeting legal and regulatory obligations and contributing to statistical returns or evidence requested by government bodies or their agencies.

The lawful basis for processing personal data for PRES is public task, under Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

Where we process any equality and diversity information or other special category data as part of the survey, this is processed on the basis of your explicit consent under Article 9(2)(a). Providing this information is optional, and you may withdraw your consent at any time.

If you wish to withdraw your consent for the processing of special category data, please contact doctoralacademy@ljmu.ac.uk. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Who has access to this data

Your personal data will only be accessed by relevant LJMU staff where this is necessary for them to carry out their role.

Within the university, access to identifiable survey data is restricted to members of staff involved in the administration and management of the Postgraduate Research Evaluation Survey (PRES), including staff within the Doctoral Academy.

Survey responses are shared with Advance HE for the purposes of:

  • conducting national level analysis
  • benchmarking
  • reporting

Data provided to Advance HE is used for research and evaluation purposes and is handled in accordance with their data protection obligations. Survey results are reported in an aggregated form and are not used to identify individual respondents.

How the university protects your data

We are committed to keeping your personal data safe in line with data protection legislation and the university’s information security and data protection policies.

PRES data is collected and stored securely using Jisc Online Surveys, a password-protected system. Access to the survey account is managed by the university and restricted to authorised staff involved in administering and managing the survey.

All participating institutions, including LJMU, have agreed not to identify individual respondents when reporting PRES results internally or externally. Survey data is analysed and reported in an aggregated form, and no individuals are identified in reports produced by the university or by Advance HE.

How long the university keeps your data

Personal identifiers collected for the administration of the survey (including your name, student ID or username, and email address) are used only to manage participation in the Postgraduate Research Evaluation Survey. These details will be securely deleted by LJMU once the survey has closed and all necessary administrative processes have been completed.

Survey responses may be retained for longer periods for research, quality assurance and enhancement purposes. Individual responses linked to demographic characteristics (such as programme of study, mode of study, age group or ethnic background) will be held for five years to support longitudinal analysis of the postgraduate research experience.

Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

  • access and obtain a copy of your data on request - this could be in a portable electronic format
  • request that the university changes incorrect or incomplete data if you think that it is inaccurate or out of date
  • request that the university delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary or legally required for the purposes of processing

If your personal data has been provided by consent, you have a right to withdraw that consent at any time.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact the Data Protection Officer at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

If you do not provide data

Taking part in the Postgraduate Research Evaluation Survey is voluntary.

If you choose not to take part, or do not complete the survey, this will not affect your studies, your relationship with the university, or the support or services available to you. You may also choose not to answer individual questions within the survey.

Transfers of data outside the UK

We normally keep your personal data within the UK. In some cases, however, we may need to transfer it to another country - for example, to deliver a contract with you or to work with a partner organisation such as a university based overseas.

Whenever this happens, we make sure your information stays protected. This could be through a UK “adequacy regulation” (which confirms that the other country’s data protection laws are up to UK standards) or by putting strong safeguards in place.

These safeguards might include:

  • model contractual clauses
  • formal data sharing or processing agreements
  • binding corporate rules

In short, even if your data travels abroad, it will continue to be treated with the same care and respect as it would under UK law.

Automated decision-making

We do not use computers to make decisions about you based solely on your personal data. Any decisions that affect you will always be made by a human, ensuring that you are treated fairly.

How to complain to the university

You have a right to complain to the university if you think it has not properly responded to your request for personal information or feel it has not handled your personal data responsibly.

If you are not satisfied with how your request for information or how your personal data has been handled, you should set out your complaint in writing to:

Maria Burquest
University Secretary and General Counsel
Legal and Governance Services
2nd Floor Exchange Station
Tithebarn Street
Liverpool
L2 2QP

or by email via DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

How to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

You have the right to complain to The Information Commissioner if you believe that our processing of your personal data does not meet our data protection obligations. The Information Commissioner can be contacted using the following details:

  • Post: Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK95AF.
  • Telephone: 0303 123 1113.
  • Email: contact can be made by accessing the ICO website.