ABSTRACT
Human subjects research generally requires the informed consent of participants. Investigators often conduct the informed consent process using printed documents and physical signatures, which can be logistically complex in large-scale educational studies. Although the medical community has begun routinely using electronic consent systems as part of the international movement from paper-based to electronic health records, educational researchers have been slower to adopt this approach due, perhaps, to concerns about the legality of collecting consent online. This article clarifies the issue for educational researchers and, by extension, others engaged in human subjects research, by discussing whether conducting the informed consent process online complies with the US Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects [US Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.-b, Code of federal regulations (45 CFR 46). Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.html] as well as the potential benefits and barriers of such a move.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
† A previous version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Vancouver, BC, April 16, 2012.
1 We prefer use of the word participants instead of subjects because the term participants and its variants (e.g. sample members) connote participation (i.e. people who volunteered). Thus, whenever possible (i.e. except when using a phrase such as human subjects in reference to a policy) throughout this article, we use the term participants.