Consent
You want to manage the participants of your research in a honest manner. That is why you first ask for their informed consent. You explain to the respondent what your research is about, what their role will entail, and what effects could possibly come from participating. Thereupon you ask for their consent to participate in your research.
Who gives consent?
- A participant who is mentally competent and older than 16.
- A parent or guardian if the participant is younger than 12.
- A parent or guardian and the participant if the participant is between 12 and 16.
- A representative if the participant is older than 16 but mentally incapacitated.
Obtaining consent
In principle, you should always be able to prove that a participant has given their consent. That is why you ask for an active and written consent: by signing an informed consent form a respondent acknowledges wanting to participate in your research.
Informed consent form
The informed consent form comprises two parts, the information letter or brochure and the declaration of consent.
Information Letter
In the information letter you explain:
- what the research is about;
- which of the participant’s data is to be collected;
- how the data will be processed;
- who will conduct the research;
- who the participant’s contact person is and how to get in touch with them;
- that the participant may at all times retract their previous consent and that they do not require a reason to stop their participation in the research.
Declaration of consent
In the declaration of consent you ask the participant for their permission to:
- collect and process their data;
- archive their data;
- if necessary, publish the (anonymised) data;
- if necessary, make the (anonymised) data available for future research.