Erasmus University Rotterdam
Erasmus University Rotterdam

Informed consent

When conducting research that involves humans, it is important to inform them about your research. EUR templates make sure you don't forget anything important.

Four people having a conversation at a table
Like to see some great examples from colleagues? Go to Great Examples.
Informed consent icons
Do you want to add visuals to your form? Check out the icons below

The EUR templates contain items that are (conditionally) required when relevant to your research, such as what your research entails and what the possible consequences of participation might be. You can combine and edit sections of the template if this is more suitable for your research.

What is the informed consent/public interest template?

In short, the public interest template informs participants that their personal data is processed on the basis of public interest and not on the basis of consent.  

What about ethical consent?

Consent (i.e., active agreement to participate) still needs to be asked from an ethical perspective and therewith the possibility to withdraw consent to participate remains.

Why public interest and not consent (the privacy perspective)?

Asking consent is only one of six legal grounds (provided by the GDPR) on which the processing of personal data can be based. Another legal ground is Public interest. For Public Interest to be applicable, there needs to be a law which requires the performance of a task. In the Netherlands, scientific research is conducted on the basis of the Wet op het hogeronderwijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek.[1] Hence, in the case of scientific research, the processing of personal data can be based on public interest (Algemeen belang in Dutch).

When is consent required?

  1. When planning on processing special categories of data, you should use the standard informed consent template. 
  2. Also ask consent for everything which is not directly required for the research (e.g., audio/video recording and quotes). The public interest template will guide you through this.

Why do we need this template?

(Personal) data is often reused for further research by the researchers themselves or by other researchers for new research projects. Further processing of personal data, originally obtained on the basis of consent, is only allowed if the participant specifically consents to the further use. Using public interest as legal basis allows the reuse of personal data without explicitly asking consent for reuse.

In certain situations, the ethics committee gives permission for the use of passive consent. Passive consent, however, is not an option from a privacy perspective, as consent should always be given actively. By using public interest as a legal ground, a researcher can use passive consent while remaining compliant with the GDPR.

Further use, just like that?

No, personal data (collected on the basis of public interest) cannot be further used just like that. There are some requirements. Further use is only GDPR compliant if:

  • Research participants were properly informed about the potential further use,
  • It is for scientific research,
  • The GDPR principles (e.g., purpose, data minimisation) are considered,
  • Relevant measures, such as applying anonymisation or pseudonymisation techniques, are taken in so far possible, and
  • A data sharing agreement is concluded (if shared with external researcher).

All of these are equally required in case you have consent for reusing data.

What about special categories of personal data?

For certain categories of personal data, it is still required to ask for consent. This also needs to be considered in relation to further use of those categories of personal data. The template provides guidance.

[1] Artikel 1.3. lid 1 Wet op het hogeronderwijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek.

Yes! As a researcher, you have a good grasp of your (potential) research population. Feel free to combine and/or rewrite the text in a way that suits your research. This also applies to compulsory text, but make sure the information is accurate. Submit the form to the ethics committee (more information) and Privacy Officer (your privacy contact).

Most importantly: Consider the language level of the participant. During your explanation, take into account local beliefs and knowledge to best convey the information.

No! It is important to ensure that participants receive all relevant information, but it does not have to be all at once. Consider the use of: 

  • Flyers  
  • Further information on a project website  
  • Debrief sessions/forms 
  • More practical information (e.g., times, location etc) shared at a later time 
  • Repeating information (with a specific question or before you start an interview or focus group)

Submit the form to the ethics committee (more information) and Privacy Officer (your privacy contact).

Informing participants properly is very important and could be more difficult with some of the vulnerable groups. Information should be tailored to the group / target audience for them to understand.

Ensure that the information you provide is, in language and terms, understandable / clear to the (potential) participants.

Signing is a great way to prove that a participant gave consent. It is, however, not the only way. There are alternative options, such as recorded verbal consent, ticking a box, or responding via email/chat. However, in every instance it needs to be clear that the consent was in relation to information provided.

What if none of these work for you? Discuss with the privacy officer and ethics committee.

Passive consent can only be used in (limited circumstances) with approval from the ethics committee. Risks to participants should be minimal. If you are using passive consent, opt for the “public interest” version of the template.

Consult your privacy officer prior to using the form.

Consult with the privacy officer and ethics committee. For more information see Covert Research.

Ensure that the third party is informing the research participants adequately. It is still your responsibility that research participants are adequately informed and aware of their rights as participants.

For more information on which template to use, go to the FAQ.

Versions:The templates were last updated February 2024
Consulted:Privacy officers, representatives of the ethics committees, Data stewards, Open science
Informed:Ethics Committees, Research via newsletters
Revision date:1 April 2023

Informed consent icons
Iris Broersma

Why use icons?

To ensure that informed consent forms are easier to understand, for example for people with reading disabilities.

Where can I find the icons?

You can find the available icons here: SURFdrive

Are you missing any icons? Or do you need additions or modifications? Or do you want to share icons with us that you are already using? Please contact us.

We will be adding more examples. Do you have a great example? Consider sharing your example or contact us via ethics@eur.nl so that we can possible highlight your example on this page. 

An example of an A2/B1 consent/public interest template (Dutch)

Download example: Pesten op het werk

Download example: Great design.

Title:Gezinsgerichte attitudes en handelingen: Een vragenlijstonderzoek onder professionals in de jeugdhulp
Context:Questionnaire among youth support professionals
Language:Dutch
Method(s) applied:Survey
Participants:Youth support professionals
Date:23 March 2023
Type of data:Demographic data; contact information
Why is this a good example?

Layout; design; accessible language

The form is designed with Canva Docs.

And do not forget to check out the icons designed by and for the EUR.

Could you do something different?You could mention something about further use of the data for follow up or new projects.

Download example: Bestuurskunde.

Title:DoDive: Diversiteitspraktijken in Rotterdam
Context:Interviews with employees and volunteers from organisations in culture, education and sport sector on diversity
Language:Dutch
Method(s) applied:Interview
Participants:Employees and volunteers from organisations in culture, education and sport sector
Date:23 March 2023
Type of data:Demographic data; position within organisation; opinion on diversity within organisation; possibility of discussing sensitive issues
Why is this a good example?  There is a clear understanding of the potential (re-)identification of participants, and this is shared with the participants.
Could you do something different?  Consider using the public interest version of the template. Like to know more about that version, go to the FAQ and find out.

Download example: Debrief survey experiment.

Title:Organizational nostalgia and organizational change
Context:Online survey on organisational change
Language:English
Method(s) applied:Survey experiment
Participants:Adult employees
Date:23 March 2023
Type of data:Contact information?; demographic information? Participant ID
Why is this a good example?Online survey platform/Qualtrics; debriefing; withholding information; transparency about data security
Could you do something different?It is good practice to add the contact information of the DPO [FG]. It can be good to explicitly mention the data to be collected.

Go to website: Informing children about their rights as research participants: An open source animation film for researchers who work with children and young people – CO:RE Knowledge Base (core-evidence.eu)

Title:Informing children about their rights as research participants: An open source animation film for researchers who work with children and young people
Context:Full explanation can be found on the website
Language:The script for the video is written in multiple languages. (check out the website to see which specific languages there are)
Method:general
Participants:children
Date:September 2022
Type of data:General personal data
Why is this a good example?The video provides very clear and complete information specifically for children
Could you do something different?If possible, you could cut the videos into shorter parts and consider whether all the information should be provided at once. In addition, you can add questions or games to test the child's understanding.

If you have any questions about this webpage or have any suggestions to improve the webpage, please contact ethics@eur.nl. This page and the templates are updated frequently, so be sure to regularly check this page for the most up-to-date information and documents.

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