hi everyone,
someone's asked me this and I don't know the answer, so I've offered to ask the Forum and she can go to her supervisor when she's mustered the courage I guess.

This is a masters study, and what's happened is that some of her study participants have not signed the Consent Form. Will she have to discard all that data if she can't locate them?

I was thinking of verbal consent, but how does that work? I don't know how to help her.
any advice?
thanks
love satchi

That should be answered in her T&Cs, or ethics handbook. It's likely though that the results must be discarded- not because any harm has necessarilly been done but because the institution may not feel itself covered.

Frankly, yes the data should be destroyed. It would be incredibly unethical to use data collected without explicit consent from the participants.

Verbal consent is definitely insufficient, and I would question whether it was even given. The only caveat here, would be if there is a recording of verbal consent being given. But even then, that shouldn't be viewed or looked at without the signed document.

ok guys, what about this - if some people have signed the Consent Form, and not done the experiment???? I think what's happened is that people got the forms from her when she went out to talk about her study, and they've signed it and then they haven't kept their appointments for the tests. There is something wrong somewhere?

If I'm not mistaken, are we supposed to only sign the Consent Form at the start of the tests?

love satchi

The consent form would normally have something in it about the participant being able to withdraw from the study at any time up until analysis/publication, so it's possible for people to sign and then not proceed for a variety of reasons.

I would imagine it was a condition of approval for the study that formal written consent be obtained. In the lack of that, you can't use the data obtained.

oh I will have to tell her then. Thanks everyone
love satchi

Just to add, in future it probably would be better for participants to sign consent forms when they arrived at the appointment and not sent out beforehand.

What can be sent out beforehand is an explanatory statement with a copy of what the consent form will look like, but that when they arrive to the appointment, they sign one there.