Please follow the checklist below when constructing your informed consent for adult participants.
Please note that some items may not apply to your study.
Download a PDF version of the Informed Consent Checklist listed below.
Informed Consent Checklist
____ A statement that the study involves research.
____ An explanation of the purposes of the research.
____ The expected duration of the subject's participation.
____ Identification of any procedures which are experimental.
____ A description of any reasonably foreseeable risks of discomforts to the subject.
____ A description of any benefits to the subject or to others which may reasonably be expected from the research.
____ A disclosure of appropriate alternative procedures or courses of treatment, if any, that might be advantageous to the subject.
____ A statement describing the extent, if any, to which confidentiality of records identifying the subject will be maintained.
____ For research involving more than minimal risk, an explanation as to whether any compensation is due, and an explanation as to whether any medical treatments are available if injury occurs, and, if so, what they consist of, or where further information may be obtained.
____ An explanation of whom to contact for answers to pertinent questions about the research and research subject's rights, including the faculty sponsor's name and contact information if the investigator is a student.
____ A statement that participation is voluntary, refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled, and the subject may discontinue participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits, to which the subject is otherwise entitled.
____ A statement that the subject or the subject's legally authorized representative will receive a copy of the information consent statement.
The following are templates developed to assist the Principal Investigator in the design of their informed consent forms . It is important that Principal Investigators adapt their own informed consents to the outline and requirements of their particular study.
- Do not be concerned by the length of these templates. They are long only because they contain guidance and explanations which are for you and which you will not include in the informed consent forms that you develop and provide to participants in your research. Typical informed consents are 1-2 pages long.
- These templates include examples of key questions that may be asked, at the end of each section, that could ensure the understanding of the information being provided, especially if the research study is complex. These are just examples and suggestions, and the investigators will have to modify the questions depending upon their study. We suggest that the investigator use a sample that is commonly used in their field of study.