Participant Information Sheet

What is this study about?

We are studying how people interact with AI research tools, precisely how the design of an AI assistant's interface shapes the way people work with it during a short reading-and-writing task.

To keep the study fair, some specific details about what we are comparing are not described here. They are fully explained in a debrief at the end (see "Is any information being withheld?" below). This is a normal and approved research practice.

Do I have to take part?

No. Taking part is completely voluntary. If you decide not to, that is absolutely fine and will not affect you in any way. If you do take part, you can stop at any time (see "What are my rights?").

What will I be asked to do?

If you agree to take part, you will:

• Confirm your consent on the next page.
• Read a short academic abstract and click a button when you have finished. This helps us understand your normal reading pace.
• Complete a 15-minute academic literature synthesis task consisting of reading source material and producing a short summary brief with the help of a built-in AI research tool.
• Answer a short standard questionnaire about how the task felt (mental effort, frustration, and similar).
• Write a brief reflection describing one moment during the task that stood out to you.
• Read a debrief page that explains the full purpose of the study.

The whole session takes approximately 15 minutes. You will need a desktop or laptop computer with a mouse or trackpad.

Will I be paid?

Yes. You will be paid £3.70 through Prolific for completing the study, in line with Prolific's fair-pay guidelines. Payment is handled by Prolific in the usual way.

What data will you collect about me?

While you work on the task, the application records how you interact with the interface. This is continuous it happens throughout the task, not just at specific moments. Specifically, we record:

• Mouse cursor movement, sampled many times per second (up to 60 times a second),
• Keystroke patterns (such as typing and deleting, but not used to reconstruct passwords or personal text elsewhere),
• The timing of your actions (for example, how long you pause before doing something), and
• Your clicks on the interface.

We also collect your answers to the questionnaire and your written reflection.

We do not collect cookies, your IP address, your location, your name, or any other information that could directly identify you. Your Prolific ID is replaced with a random code ("pseudonymised") the moment you enter the study, and it is stored separately from everything else.

Is any information being withheld from me?

Yes and we want to be upfront that this is the case. To keep the comparison at the heart of this study fair, some details about what the study is testing are withheld until the end. Nothing about this withholding poses any risk to you. As soon as you finish, a debrief page will explain everything that was withheld and why. If, after reading the debrief, you are not comfortable with your data being used, you can ask for it to be deleted.

How is my data stored and protected?

Your data is sent over an encrypted connection and stored in a secure database hosted in the UK (AWS London region), in line with UK GDPR.

Your Prolific ID is pseudonymised on entry and kept in a separate store from your interaction and questionnaire data, so the two cannot be casually linked.

Consent and payment records are also kept separate from the research data.

Only the research team can access the data, and it is used solely for this research.

What are my rights?

You can withdraw at any time during the task by closing the browser tab or returning the study on Prolific. You do not have to give a reason.

After completing the study, you can ask us to delete your data. Because your data is pseudonymised, you will need to quote your Prolific ID so we can find and remove your specific record. You can request this up to the deletion window (4 weeks after participation) by emailing the researcher.

Taking part, or choosing not to, has no consequences for you either way.

Who has reviewed and approved this study?

This study has been reviewed and approved by [ETHICS COMMITTEE / REVIEW BOARD NAME], reference [ETHICS REFERENCE NUMBER].

Who can I contact?

Researcher: [RESEARCHER NAME], [RESEARCHER EMAIL]

Supervisor: [SUPERVISOR NAME], [SUPERVISOR EMAIL]

If you have concerns about how this study has been conducted, you can contact [ETHICS CONTACT / DEPARTMENT OFFICE] at [ETHICS CONTACT EMAIL].

To request deletion of your data, email the researcher above quoting your Prolific ID.