Overview of informed consent

Overview of informed consent

Obtaining informed consent implies that all possible or adequate information on the goal of the investigation, the procedures which will be followed during the investigation, the possible advantages, disadvantages and dangers to which respondents may be exposed, as well as the credibility of the researcher, be rendered to potential subjects or their legal representatives (Strydom, 2011). Strydom (2011) stresses the voluntary nature of participation in research. He also emphasizes that participants must be made aware that they would be at liberty to withdraw from the investigation at any time.

Rosnow and Rosenthal (1999) describe autonomy as “independence”. They state that in the context of research ethics, autonomy refers specifically to a prospective subject’s right as well as ability “to choose” whether to participate in the study, or to continue in the study, or to opt out of the Research Planning at any time when the participant needs to.