JCQ Users Policy

General Usage Procedures

Usage of the JCQ is initiated by the interested researcher through contact with the JCQ Center (or in Japan the "JCQ sub-Center"). The user is then sent an information form which they use to describe their study - which allows the Center to build the User's Network - and a contract covering Center data copy policy, and to costs, where applicable. Upon receipt of these the JCQ Center sends the researcher the JCQ packet of materials, which includes review articles, reliability materials, usage examples, the questionnaire, questionnaire scoring procedures, and occupational scoring system.

The user must request permission for each separate study. This provision allows the JCQ Center to build the network data base of research projects, and compile the Summary Guide of Projects. JCQ users construct their final questionnaire and score the responses themselves. During their research, users typically request some information about the JCQ or its scoring, which is provided by the JCQ Center. Future services should extend the possibilities for researcher contact with the JCQ Center (see below).

Additional contract provisions are provided for commercial users and large research projects which pay for JCQ use.

JCQ sub-Center (Japan) forwards the data base form and contracts to the JCQ Center and informs users about usage costs where applicable (cost-liable users are directed to contact the JCQ Center for final arrangements).

A. JCQ Packet: provided to the User by the JCQ Center at Initial Mailing;

a. JCQ User's Guide & Questionnaire

(currently version 1.7; = version 1.12, with addition of: (a) administrative revisions [v. 1.7 - 2/97]; and (b) [v1.6 -10/96] optional additional scales* in use in large studies).

The User's guide.. includes scale correlations (Karasek, et al, NIOSH, 1982), scoring instructions, usage examples, and occupational scoring guide.

The User's Guide.. should be available in a newly printed format in late 1997.

b. Reliability reports:

1. Karasek, Schwartz and Pieper, (1983 [U.S., QES 1970's])

2. Karasek and Theorell, (1990, Healthy Work, Appendix 1, [U.S., QES 1970's])

3. Kawakami, et al, (1996 [Japan, 1993])

4.{soon avail.} Brisson, Dion, et al, (1996,[Canada,1993])

5.{soon avail.} Karasek and Paquette (1997,[U.S.,1991])

c. Reference lists:

1. Schnall, Landsbergis, Baker, 1994

2. Kristenssen, 1995

3. Kristenssen, 1996

4. Theorell and Karasek, 1996

5. Karasek and Theorell, 1990, Healthy Work can be ordered from Harper Collins, 1000 Keystone, Industrial Park, Scranton, PA 18512-4621 (800-242-7737)

d. Internet addresses:

1. JCQ Center Home Page[http:// www.uml.edu/Dept/WE/JCQ]

2. Job Stress Network Home Page[http://bugsy.serve.net/cse/] (P. Schnall, U.S.).

*global economy questions (5 questions); new psychological strain scale (18 questions)

B. Data Copy Requirements, and Other User Obligations

Before receiving the JCQ Packet the users is required to:

a. Fill out and return the JCQ User's Data Base Information Form.(see attachment)

b. JCQ Packet Costs

The user is required to pay initial mailout costs (=$ 25) for the above materials (effective after August, 1997).

c. Sign and return the JCQ User's Contract (see attachment):

1. The user agrees to send a copy of JCQ data, demographic data, [and, if used, the psychological strain scale data] to the JCQ Center. No copy of any other data is requested (such as the study's dependent variable data, - i.e. heart disease, muscular skeletal disorders, etc.).

2. The user agrees to pay for JCQ use in the case of large research, and commercial users, but not graduate student projects and small research projects (see attached payment schedule).

d. If a translation of the JCQ to another language is to be made, then a back translation must be submitted to the JCQ Center for approval before use.

C. JCQ Support Policy: Follow-up Services Provided by JCQ Center to JCQ Users:

The services below are provided to all registered JCQ users, as a part of the JCQ program. However, to support these activities requires financial support which is paid only by large research projects and commercial users, who on the basis of the magnitude of their contributions can request special research support.

Currently Available JCQ User Services;

1. JCQ National Standard Scores (for U.S.):

JCQ Scale scores are available for the 31 scales listed in the JCQ User's Guide, broken down into the following subgroups (listed in the Guide):

1. Full national population (random sample, U.S.):

- with subdivisions by: male, female, male + female.

2. Full national population subdivided by detailed occupations (3-digit/ 220 groups) or by aggregated occupations (86 groups):

- with subdivisions by: male, female, male + female.

3. Full national population subdivided by detailed industry (3-4 digit/ 227 groups) or by aggregated industry (65 groups):

- with subdivisions by: male, female, male + female.

2. JCQ Users Study Summaries The first such guide (9/95-draft) discusses approximately 100 JCQ studies by research group, by dependent variable, by study design, lists publications, etc. Many of these research studies are not yet published, but represent valuable information to the JCQ User community. We expect to update this report biannually.

3. JCQ Internet Home Page/Telephone Assistance. An Internet Home Page has been developed for the JCQ Center which allows users to order the JCQ via the Internet (via the UMass Lowell home page, see address above) and to send E-mail messages relating to JCQ use. A JCQ consultant is available by telephone some days of the week, but this service is still limited at present.

It should be noted that some of these services below are "future goals" that can only be fulfilled after the JCQ user's fees begin to support the research staff person - possibly starting in fall 1997).

Future JCQ User Services:

1. "The JCQ International Project" and Development of JCQ 2.0. (JCQ Reliability and Standardization Research Reports) The ongoing goal of scale reliability analyses, and the future goal of development of updated version of the JCQ ("JCQ 2.0") will generate research which compares scale scores, scale correlations, etc. across different populations, including international comparisons. One goal is to define a small set of internationally comparable reference occupations (nurses, carpenters, foremen, etc.) for use in international policy and research discussions.

2. Reprinted JCQ User's Guide and Questionnaire (fall 1997) Major revision of JCQ documentation should probably await a new JCQ (version 2.0). However, there are an accumulation of smaller scale modifications, including this new User's policy ( 2/97) which could be documented. A more attractive and wear-resistant format could be used. Other minor clarifications, and supplements to the existing text could be included: new use examples, and the optional new scales used in several current large studies (global economy and revised psychological strain scales).

3. JCQ Internet Home Page Expansion - or Special Access The existing User's "Help Service," could be extended to allow researchers to pose sophisticated questions about JCQ standardization, etc. to the JCQ Center. It could also provide easy access to answers for common questions, access to researchers/JCQ Center E-mail response chains, etc. User's (and JCQ board members) might have suggestions about the most helpful services. Of course, a trained researcher's support is necessary for this JCQ Center activity.

As information accumulates in the JCQ User's Data base, this data may eventually be of use to coordinate data bases or to contact other researchers, and could be shared with users.

4. Networking and Research Finding Notifications for JCQ User's Notification of scientific meeting and conference sessions relating to JCQ topics: reports of finding with JCQ and related instruments; upcoming discussions related to a new version of the instrument ("JCQ 2.0") including scale reliability and scale coverage issues; discussion of data-base linkage; discussions of international collaborative projects. (Some activities of this sort are already provided by the Job Stress Network on the Internet - see above address).

5. JCQ Internet Scoring Access The advent of widely-used Internet browsers which are equipped to use the JAVA computer language (from Netscape, Microsoft, and others) makes it technically possible for JCQ users from any part of the world to process a raw JCQ data file and get JCQ scale scores directly calculated via an Internet hook-up to the JCQ Center. Statistical comparisons could also be made to different subgroup means and standard deviations, to the extent a data base over such information accumulated in the JCQ Center (supplementing, for example, the existing data of this type from the U.S.). The JAVA Internet-based computer language allows the visitor to a web site to download a program which could process a data base on the user's own computer to do this, regardless of computer type (the program is in effect for the duration of the Internet contact). This could also allow faster development of an easy-to-use data-base of JCQ scale scores, etc. for reliability analysis.

Of course, such scoring activity would require significant allocation of resources to programming by the JCQ Center. This capability, however, would certainly save JCQ user's significant amounts of routine computer processing, and insure standardized results for sophisticated procedures, etc. Perhaps this project could be made feasible by the financial support of user's paying a service charge at the time of the Internet hook-up.

D. JCQ Usage Cost Schedule (1997):

A. . Commercial Users

a. Definition: commercial users are users who use the JCQ for an organization or established program within an organization which is for-profit, or which receives more than 40% of its funding from (a) for-profit commercial entity, or from (b) fee-for-service patient care, or from (c) fee-based enrollment-type health care programs.

b. Charges and services:

1. $ 2.25 per/person questionnaire use

2. $ .25 per/person questionnaire use for provision of standard scores

(for prices on large usages, contact the JCQ Center)

B. Graduate Student Users

a. Definition: no charges for JCQ use is made to graduate students (masters and

doctoral students enrolled in regular university degree programs).

C. Research Project Users

a. Definition: research project users are all non-commercial and non-graduate student users.

b. Exclusion: research projects with fewer than 750 subjects are excluded from payment requirement (other requirements above still apply). The size of the research project is determined by the total size of: (a) all studies under the same research-project-focused administrative funding agreement; (b) a research project with a unified study goal, subject group, and study timing. (c) The number of subjects is the number initially given the JCQ instrument in the research. (d) Follow-up studies of the same subjects are regarded as the same usage, and are not subject to additional charges.

c. JCQ Use Charges (for research project users):

1. per person use: first 5,000 study subjects: - $1.00

2. per person use, next 5,000 to 20,000 study subjects: - $ .65

3. per person use, next 20,000 and above, study subjects - $ .40

(for prices on usages over 50,000 subjects, contact the JCQ Center)

d. Charge calculation examples;

(a) A project with 10,000 subjects costs $5,000 for the first 5,000, and $3,500 for the next 5,000: Total = $8,500.

(b) A project of 40,000 subjects costs $5,000 for the first 5,000 subjects, $9,750 for the next 15,000, and $8,000 for the next 20,000: Total = $22,750.

D. Payment Policy for Users

For projects which are supported by current funding, payment for use of the JCQ is due 30 days after receipt of a bill from the JCQ Center.

Projects which are seeking funding via competitive grant application, and which need Permission for use of the Instrument in the grant application, will receive permissions and the JCQ packet, as in the case of non-paying users (Initial Mailing). Study directors will be required to agree in their permission contract that they will take all necessary steps to see that the financial institution responsible for administering the project considers the fees as payable as a part of research expenses, and agree to pay them upon receipt of project funding (information about project funding is required). JCQ usage fees are due at the beginning of the award of project funding in such cases. New project funding requests require new permissions.