Taking part

If you choose to take part, you will be asked to provide your consent. After this, you will be invited to fill in an online questionnaire and give a saliva (spit) sample, using a kit that will be delivered to your address by post.

No further involvement is required, but you may be invited to take part in more research in the future. If invited, you will be given a separate consent form, with information about the extra research, but you don’t have to take part.

When you register interest, you’ll be provided a link to the consent form and questionnaire. The questionnaire will be available to answer immediately after consent and will take about an hour to complete. You can fill in the questionnaire on either your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. You’ll be able to leave and re-enter the questionnaire whenever you like to and your information will be saved. You can return by clicking the link in your email. If you have any technical issues with the questionnaire, you can email viking@ed.ac.uk or call 0131 651 8557

The saliva sample you provide will have genetic material (DNA) separated for analysis by researchers. Analysis may include Whole Genome Sequencing, where we read all 6 billion letters of your DNA. This means we can look at whether any changes in the DNA seem to be important in health or disease.

1. Spit until the saliva (not bubbles) reaches the fill line.
2. Close lid tightly by pushing down your hand on the funnel lid until you hear a loud click.
3. Hold the tube upright. Unscrew the funnel from the tube.
4. Use the small cap to close the tube tightly.
5. Shake the capped tube for 5 seconds. Discard Funnel.
6. Return sample using the prepaid box.

Recruitment is now closed, so we are no longer sending or receiving samples. However, for reference, this step by step guide will walk you through how our volunteers provided their samples.

If you'd like to know more about what was expected of our volunteers when they provided a saliva sample, please read the instructions below:

Alternatively, you can watch our video below to see how it was done.

Please note: Although the branding is for our Viking II study, the process remained the same for any new Viking Genes volunteers. 

In your sample kit, there's a barcode on the saliva sample tube. This has been linked by us to your volunteer ID. When you provide your sample, you don’t need to add your name, as this link will be enough. This process ensures your data is protected.

The return of the saliva sample kit is pre-paid for UK residents. Unfortunately, our return stamp on the kit box will only pay for postage inside the UK. Therefore, if you live abroad the return postage would have to be organised by yourself. To help you estimate the likely cost in your country of residence, the package counts as a 100g Royal Mail large letter, £3.25 within Europe. If you have any other questions about the sample return, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The outer packing is widely recycled and most councils will collect it from your plastics bin. We do not recommend recycling the funnel, as it is contaminated with your saliva.

There are a few reasons that you may receive a second sample. These reasons could include:

• The sample broke during transport
• We couldn't gain enough DNA from your sample
• The sample was lost in the post

You will be notified by email if a second kit is sent to you and the reasoning for this.

If you don't receive your kit within 2 weeks of it being sent, or if you have any other issues, you can contact us. Details can be found in the link below:

Contact Us

If you receive a broken kit or lose it you can contact us. Details can be found in the link below:

Contact Us