Research Ethics: Consent, Ethics Committee Steps, Templates and Plagiarism Rules

Research ethics: protect participants and your work

What informed consent requires, how to move through an ethics committee, ready-to-adapt consent form templates, and the plagiarism and publication rules that journals expect authors to follow.

Three principles behind every rule

Most ethics requirements come from a few ideas set out in documents such as the Belmont Report and the Declaration of Helsinki. When a situation is not covered by a rule, return to these.

Respect for personsPeople decide for themselves whether to take part. Those with reduced capacity get extra protection.

BeneficenceReduce possible harm and increase possible benefit. Risks must be justified by the value of the research.

JusticeBurdens and benefits are shared fairly. Do not recruit vulnerable groups just because they are easy to reach.

Informed consent

Consent is a process, not just a signature. Participants should understand what is being asked, have time to think and ask questions, and be free to say no or leave later without penalty.

What a consent form should cover

Element	What to write
Purpose and who is running it	Plain-language aim, investigator and institution, and who funds the study.
Procedures and time	What participants will do, how long it takes, and how many sessions.
Risks and benefits	Honest description, including discomfort, privacy risk and the fact that there may be no direct benefit.
Voluntary participation	Participation is optional, and withdrawal at any time carries no penalty.
Confidentiality	How data are stored, who can see them, how long they are kept and whether they are anonymised or shared.
Compensation and costs	Any payment, reimbursement or cost to the participant.
Contacts	Investigator contact and the ethics committee contact for questions or complaints.

Write at a level your participants can read, and provide the form in their language.
For children, get parental or guardian permission and, where appropriate, the child's own assent.
Where people cannot read, use an impartial witness and record how consent was explained.
For surveys, an information sheet with an "I agree to take part" checkbox is often accepted in place of a signature. Confirm with your committee.
Keep signed forms separate from the data if you promise anonymity.

Ethics committee steps

Committees are called IRB, REC or IEC depending on the country. Names and forms differ, but the path is similar. Start early, since review can take weeks.

Check whether review is needed. Research involving people, their identifiable data or biological samples usually needs it. Your institution can tell you if your work is exempt.
Finish your protocol. Aims, design, sample, recruitment, instruments and analysis plan should be settled before you apply.
Prepare the documents. Application form, participant information sheet, consent or assent form, questionnaires, recruitment materials, investigator CVs and training certificates.
Submit and wait for triage. The committee assigns a review level: exempt, expedited or full board, depending on risk.
Respond to comments. Outcomes are usually approval, approval with changes, or resubmission. Answer each point in a cover letter and mark changes.
Collect data only after approval. Keep the approval letter and reference number for your journal submission.
Report changes and problems. Submit amendments before changing the protocol and report adverse events promptly.
Renew and close. File progress reports if required and a closing report when the study ends.

Which review level is likely?

Do you collect identifiable personal data? Yes No, anonymous or public data

Are participants from a vulnerable group (children, patients, prisoners, people with reduced capacity)? Yes No

Is there more than minimal risk (invasive procedures, sensitive topics, deception)? Yes No

Answer all three questions.

This tool gives a rough guide only. Your own committee decides the review level.

Consent form templates

Adapt the wording to your study, remove anything that does not apply, and have your committee approve the final version. Replace every item in [square brackets].

Adult participant information and consent

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION AND CONSENT FORM

Study title: [Title]
Researcher: [Name, position, institution, email, phone]
Ethics approval: [Committee name, reference number]

Why is this study being done?
[Two or three plain sentences on the aim.]

What will I be asked to do?
[Describe tasks, e.g. complete a 15-minute questionnaire. State the number and length of sessions.]

Are there any risks or benefits?
[Describe possible discomfort or privacy risks. State any benefits, or that there may be none for you personally.]

Is taking part voluntary?
Yes. You can decline, skip any question, or stop at any time without giving a reason and without any penalty. [If data cannot be removed after a set date, say so here.]

How will my information be protected?
[Explain anonymisation, storage, access, retention period, and any data sharing or publication.]

Will I be paid or have any costs?
[State payment or reimbursement, or that there is none.]

Who can I contact?
Questions about the study: [Researcher contact].
Concerns or complaints about the study: [Ethics committee contact].

CONSENT
[ ] I have read this information and had the chance to ask questions.
[ ] I understand taking part is voluntary and I can withdraw at any time.
[ ] I agree to take part in this study.
[ ] I agree that anonymised data may be used in publications. (optional)

Participant name: ____________________   Signature: ____________   Date: ________
Researcher name: ____________________   Signature: ____________   Date: ________

Parental permission and child assent

PARENT/GUARDIAN PERMISSION FORM

Study title: [Title]
Researcher: [Name, institution, contact]
Ethics approval: [Committee name, reference number]

Your child is invited to take part in a study about [topic in plain words].
What will happen: [Describe tasks, time and setting.]
Risks and benefits: [Describe.]
Voluntary: You may refuse, and you or your child may stop at any time without penalty. This will not affect [school grades / medical care].
Privacy: [Describe how your child's information is kept confidential.]
Contact: [Researcher and ethics committee contacts.]

[ ] I have read this form and had my questions answered.
[ ] I give permission for my child, [child's name], to take part.

Parent/guardian name: ____________________   Signature: ____________   Date: ________

---------------------------------------------------------------

CHILD ASSENT FORM (simple language, adjust for age)

We are asking you to help with a study about [topic].
If you say yes, you will [describe in one or two simple sentences].
You do not have to take part. You can say no or stop at any time, and no one will be upset with you.
We will keep what you tell us private, except [state any safety exception, if applicable].

[ ] Yes, I want to take part.   [ ] No, I do not want to take part.

Child name: ____________________   Date: ________

Plagiarism and publication rules

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words, ideas or data as your own. Journals treat it as misconduct, and outcomes range from rejection to retraction and notification of your institution.

Type	What it looks like
Direct copying	Text copied without quotation marks and a citation.
Patchwriting	A source's sentences with a few words swapped. Changing words is not paraphrasing.
Idea plagiarism	Using someone's argument, method or result without credit, even in your own words.
Self-plagiarism	Reusing your published text or submitting the same work to two journals without disclosure.
Fabrication and falsification	Inventing data or altering results or images. These are among the most serious violations.
Improper authorship	Gift, ghost or omitted authors. Authorship should follow the ICMJE criteria: substantial contribution, drafting or revising, final approval, and accountability.

AvoidCopying a paragraph, changing a few words and citing at the end.

BetterRead, close the source, restate the idea in your own structure, and cite. Quote exact wording in quotation marks with a page number.

Similarity reports: tools such as Turnitin or iThenticate show overlap, not proof of plagiarism. Acceptable limits differ by journal and institution, so check the policy of your target journal.
Citations: cite every source of ideas, data, figures and tables, and get permission for any reproduced material.
Duplicate submission: submit to one journal at a time. Preprints must be disclosed.
AI tools: follow the journal's policy. Most require disclosure of AI use and do not accept an AI tool as an author. You remain responsible for accuracy and originality.
Ethics statement: state the approving committee and reference number and whether informed consent was obtained in your manuscript.
Guidance: the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) publishes flowcharts for handling suspected misconduct.

Before you collect data or submit

0 of 7 done

I confirmed whether my study needs ethics review.
The information sheet and consent form are in plain language and in the participants' language.
Assent and guardian permission are in place for any children or people with reduced capacity.
I have written approval and a reference number before collecting data.
Data storage, anonymisation and retention match what participants were told.
All sources are cited, and I ran a similarity check on my draft.
Authors, funding, conflicts of interest and AI use are disclosed.