Consent forms must be written in language understandable to the participant. All necessary medical and technical terms must be explained in lay terms or replaced with lay language. As a rule of thumb, researchers should aim for a 6th - 8th grade reading level for consent forms, and consider special circumstances and tailor consent forms specifically for the targeted population.
We have compiled a number of resources below to help researchers and study staff develop consent forms that are easy to read and understand, including a number of dictionaries that provide lay language alternatives to medical and technical terms and reading level calculators.
As a reminder, researchers are expected to use the OUHSC Consent Template when written (signed) consent will be obtained from participants. This expectation applies to sponsored research, too. Other templates and sample consent documents are also available. Click the link below to access the consent templates.