The design and conduct of processes for seeking consent to research is an area where guidelines are detailed, and sometimes contradictory. It is also often an important focus when ethics and regulatory committees review research. Below are links to resources designed to support the design and review of consent processes. If you wish to discuss any aspects please join in the conversations in our discussion forums. As always, we welcome your suggestions for further resources to add to this page.
Online courses on consent
Global Health Trials offers the free online course Introduction to Consent in English
Training and Resources in Research Ethics Evaluation (TRREE) offers the free online course Informed Consent in English, Français, Português and Deutsch
Many of the other training courses on the eLearning page include some discussion of ethical issues in consent processes.
Guidelines and reports
The OHRP 2013 compilation of guidance and regulation contains over 1000 examples of guidance, the vast majority of which include a consideration of appropriate consent processes for various types of research.
Chapter 6 of The Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ 2002 report on the Ethics of Research Related to Healthcare in Developing Countries focuses on consent, as does Chapter 3 of the US National Bioethics Advisory Commission’s Report on Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research.
SOPs and Templates
The Communication and Consent Committee, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research programme, Kilifi, Kenya have developed a set of template consent tool for consent processes
Empirical Research