Participating in research The necessity to obtain informed
consent Before anyone participates in a study, they should have
given their informed consent to the researchers or doctors in
charge of the study. Giving informed consent involves more than
just accepting to take part as the decision must be based on a
full understanding of what is involved. The information
concerning the study should be provided by the organisers and be
understandable to potential participants who should be given
time to take in the information and ask any questions. For this
reason, informed consent should be seen as a process rather than
simply a document to be signed. Different studies involve
different levels of risk and inconvenience (e.g. having an
interview, filling out a questionnaire, being observed, giving a
blood sample, having a scan or taking medication which may have
possible side-effects). Part of the process of informed consent
involves finding out what is involved in a specific study and
then taking the necessary tim