Teaching · For Teachers

A consent form families can read, with nothing required left out.

Answer in plain words what the study is for, what taking part involves, the risks and benefits and how information is kept private. The page assembles a draft with the key information first, checks every required part is there and shows how long your sentences run.

Start a draftWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the For Teachers toolkit, $79 for 72 items.

The consent draft

One draft per project and version. Copy to a new date when the IRB asks for changes. The example is made up.

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What you get

Teaching · For Teachers$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
For each project, a complete consent or permission draft in plain language, with the required parts checked and a readability measure, ready to adapt to the IRB’s template.
Who it is for
Teachers doing research in their schools, graduate students in education and the district staff who review research requests.
Format
Browser form with an assembled draft. Several saved records; printed draft or blank worksheet; CSV with one row per draft; export and import a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the For Teachers toolkit ($79) and the Teaching Suite pass ($199), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The For Teachers space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about an order, access or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.
Drawn for this page. The key information goes first, in a box a reader cannot miss, and saying no is as easy as saying yes.

How to use it

  1. Start a record with a project code.
  2. Choose adult consent or parent permission, and enter the title and researcher.
  3. Answer each part in everyday words, writing to the reader.
  4. Read the assembled draft and the readability numbers; split long sentences.
  5. Copy the text into your IRB’s template, add an assent script for children, and submit it for review.

Start a draft

What the builder is for

What the Common Rule asks

Informed consent under the federal Common Rule begins with a concise key information section that helps a person decide, then covers the basic elements: that the study is research, its purpose, duration and procedures; foreseeable risks; benefits; alternatives; how confidentiality is kept; whether de-identified information may be used in future research; whom to contact; and that taking part is voluntary and can stop at any time without penalty. Studies with more than minimal risk add compensation and treatment information.

Plain language

Consent forms are often written above the reading level of the people who sign them. Short sentences, everyday words and writing to the reader directly make a form easier to understand. The average sentence length here is a rough check; aim well under 20 words.

What this tool is not

It drafts text; it is not an approved form or legal advice. Use your IRB’s template if it has one, and the version it approves. Drafts stay in this browser.

Sources

  1. Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, 45 CFR 46.116 (general requirements, key information, and basic and additional elements of informed consent) and 46.408 (permission by parents and assent by children).
  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Human Research Protections. Informed consent FAQs and tips (hhs.gov/ohrp).
  3. Paasche-Orlow, M. K., Taylor, H. A., & Brancati, F. L. (2003). Readability standards for informed-consent forms as compared with actual readability. New England Journal of Medicine, 348(8), 721–726.
  4. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 34 CFR Part 99.

The example project is made up. The builder drafts consent text for IRB review; it is not legal advice and does not approve a study. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.