ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD (IRB) CONSENT FORM
Title of the Study:
An Exploratory Study of Emerging Technology Adoption for Financial Crime Detection: Barriers, Drivers, and Homeland Security
Implications.
Principal Investigator:
Marina E. Lopez
Doctoral Candidate, St. John’s University
Division of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies
marina.lopez22@my.stjohns.edu
850-775-8745
Faculty Sponsor:
Dr. Bernard Jones
Committee Chair, St. John’s University
Division of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies
Introduction
You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Marina E. Lopez, a doctoral candidate at St. John’s University. This study is being conducted as part of the requirements for a doctoral dissertation in Homeland Security.
Before deciding whether to participate, please read this form carefully. Participation is voluntary. You may ask questions before agreeing to participate, decline to answer any question, or withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.
Purpose of this Research
The purpose of this study is to explore how emerging data analysis technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, and related tools, are adopted within or in support of the U.S. financial services sector for financial crime detection. The study examines perceived barriers, drivers, organizational factors, user perceptions, regulatory influences, and homeland security implications associated with technology adoption in financial crime prevention and detection.
Procedures
If you agree to participate, you will first be asked to complete a brief demographics questionnaire. The demographics questionnaire collects general professional background information and will be completed by all study participants.
Interview Participants: If you are participating in the qualitative component of the study, you will participate in a semi-structured interview lasting 45 to 60 minutes. The interview will include questions about your professional experiences and perspectives related to technology adoption, financial crime detection, organizational readiness, regulatory considerations, implementation challenges, and perceived effectiveness. No classified, proprietary, customer-specific, Suspicious Activity Report (SAR)-related active investigation information will be requested.
The interview will be conducted through Microsoft Teams or another St. John’s University-approved secure platform. With your permission, the interview will be recorded and transcribed. The principal investigator will review each transcript for accuracy before analysis. You may participate in the interview even if you do not consent to the recording; in that case, the researcher will take written notes instead.
Survey Participants: If you are participating in the quantitative component of the study, you will complete an anonymous online survey administered through a secure online survey platform. The survey is expected to take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete and includes questions regarding technology adoption, organizational factors, user perceptions, regulatory influences, trust in emerging technologies, and perceived organizational effectiveness.
The total expected time commitment depends on the study component in which you participate. Interview participants should expect to spend approximately 45 minutes, plus the time required to complete the demographics questionnaire. Survey participants should expect to spend approximately 10 to 15 minutes, plus the time required to complete the demographics questionnaire.
Voluntary Participation & Right to Withdraw
Your participation is completely voluntary. You may refuse to answer any question. You may stop participating at any time without penalty or negative consequence. If you choose to withdraw, you may request that your identifiable interview data be removed from the study up until the point when the data have been de-identified and incorporated into aggregate analysis.
Risks or Discomforts
This study involves minimal risk of loss of confidentiality if research data were improperly accessed. To reduce these risks, you should not disclose classified information, proprietary information, customer data, Suspicious Activity Report (SAR)-related information, active investigation details, nonpublic regulatory findings, trade secrets, or any information that you are not authorized to share. You may skip any question that you do not wish to answer.
Benefits
There are no direct personal benefits to participating in this study. Participants will not receive compensation for participation. However, your participation may contribute to a broader understanding of how U.S. financial institutions adopt and implement emerging technologies for financial crime detection. The findings may help inform future research, policy discussions, organizational practices, and homeland security efforts related to protecting the U.S. financial infrastructure from evolving financial crime threats.
Confidentiality
The researcher will make every reasonable effort to protect your confidentiality. Your name and other directly identifying information will not be used in published results, presentations, or dissertation findings. Participants will be assigned pseudonyms or participant codes.
Information that could indirectly identify you or your organization, such as highly specific job titles, employer names, locations, unique institutional characteristics, vendor names, or operational details, will be removed or generalized where appropriate. Findings will be reported in aggregate or de-identified form. Information collected during this study will not be used or distributed for future research studies beyond those described in this consent form.
Data Security
Research data will be stored securely using password-protected and encrypted storage. Electronic files, including interview recordings, transcripts, survey data, and research notes, will be stored on encrypted devices or secure university-approved platforms. Access to the data will be limited to the researcher and, where appropriate, the faculty sponsor or dissertation committee for research oversight purposes.
Recordings will be used only for transcriptions and accuracy verification. Once transcripts are verified, recordings will be deleted unless the approved IRB protocol requires continued retention.
Data Retention and Destruction
Research records associated with this study, including the signed informed consent document, will be retained for at least three (3) years following the completion or termination of the study in accordance with St. John’s University Institutional Review Board requirements. Following the required retention period, electronic research records will be securely deleted, and any paper records will be destroyed using cross-cut shredding.
Recording Consent
The interview may be recorded only with your permission using Microsoft Teams or another St. John’s University-approved secure platform. Recording is used to ensure the accuracy of transcription and analysis. You may decline to be recorded and still participate in the study.
Contacts for Questions or Concerns
If you have any questions about this study, you can contact:
Marina E. Lopez: marina.lopez22@my.stjohns.edu
St. John’s Institutional Review Board: irb@stjohns.edu