
Unit 4: Ethics
Research ethics: Documenting consent
Consent, in any format, should include an explicit statement confirming that
information about the research has been given to the participant and
has been understood. It is important that participants don't mistake any collection of health-related data from them for any form of medical screening. This
might lead them to be less vigilant in relation to seeking medical
attention for risks or symptoms of illness.
Normally, where written consent is taken, two copies of a consent
form should be signed by the researcher and the consenting
participant, and/or their parent or guardian. One copy should be
retained by the participant and the other stored by the researcher.
The participant's copy should give details of a
contact for any queries. For
certain types of research, for example where there are identifiable
risks, it will also be appropriate for the consent to be witnessed and signed by an independent third party. All records of consent,
including audio-recordings, should be stored in the same secure
conditions as research data, with due regard to the confidentiality
and anonymity protocols of the research which will often involve the
storage of personal identity data in a location separate from the
linked data.
SMILE - Ethics by The BPS code of human research ethics, The HPC guidance on conduct and ethics for students, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf, http://www.gcal.ac.uk/hr/policies/general/code_of_good_practice_in_research.doc, http://www.gcu.ac.uk/registry/secretariat/documents/EthicsBookletMarch2011asonwebsite.doc. .