Table of Contents
Consent Forms
Updated
by Gina Romero
Consent Forms
Easily manage participant consent and compliance with your organization’s legal requirements.
Overview
Consent forms (or NDAs) in Great Question allow you to collect legally required participant agreements before they take part in any study. When enabled, participants must view and sign the form before they can book a time, complete a survey, or start a task.
Why use consent forms
- Ensure participants are legally informed about your research and data usage.
- Simplify compliance with company, regional, or project-specific privacy requirements.
- Automatically store signed consent forms within participant profiles for easy reference.
How to add a consent form
- Navigate to your Account Settings.
- Click Legal in the left-side menu.
- Click Attach file.
- Upload your consent form (PDF only).
- Optional: Click Set as default to make this consent form the default for all studies.
- Optional: Add additional required fields participants must complete, such as:
- Name
- Job title
- Address
- Optional: Adjust Consent Transfer Settings (see next section).
Consent Transfer Settings
Control whether participants need to re-sign the same consent form for every study.
Option | Description |
Non-transferrable | Participants must sign the same consent form for every study where it’s applied. |
For 90 days | Participants who signed a consent form within the past 90 days won’t need to sign again. |
For 1 year | Participants who signed a consent form within the past 365 days won’t need to sign again. |
What participants see
When joining a study with a consent form:
- Participants are shown your consent form before scheduling or beginning a task.
- They must complete all required fields and provide a digital signature.
- Once signed, they can proceed with booking or participation.
Where to find signed consent forms
To access participant consent records:
- Go to the participant’s profile.
- Look for the Consent section.
- Click Download PDF to save or review the signed form.
FAQ
What happens if a participant already signed the same form in another study? That depends on your transfer setting. If set to “Non-transferrable,” they’ll need to sign again. If set to “90 days” or “1 year,” the prior signature will carry over.
Can participants receive a copy of their signed form? Not automatically. You can download the signed PDF from their profile and share it manually if needed.
Can I upload multiple consent forms? Yes. You can attach multiple PDFs for different use cases and choose which to apply per study.
Troubleshooting
Issue | What's Happening | How to Fix It |
Can’t upload a consent form | The file type isn’t supported or the user lacks Admin permissions. | Ensure the file is in PDF format and that you’re signed in as an Admin (only Admins can upload or manage forms). |
“Attach file” button missing under Legal settings | You may not have permission or be viewing from a non-admin account. | Check your role settings. Only Admins can access Settings → Legal → Attach file. |
Participants not prompted to sign before joining a study | The consent form wasn’t attached or the study uses an outdated template. | Open the study setup, go to Plan → Legal, and confirm the consent form is attached. If not, reattach or set your default form. |
Participants asked to sign again too soon | The transfer setting is set to Non-transferrable. | In Legal → Consent Transfer Settings, choose 90 days or 1 year so previously signed forms remain valid. |
Signed consent form not showing in participant profile | Form wasn’t completed, or the participant exited before submission. | Check if the participant completed all required fields and signature. If incomplete, resend the study link and have them finish signing. |
Can’t download signed PDF | Browser pop-up blocked or form not properly saved. | Allow pop-ups for Great Question in your browser, then go to the participant’s profile → Consent section → Download PDF. |
Consent form not applied to new studies | Default form not set. | In Legal settings, click Set as default after uploading your preferred consent form to automatically attach it to all new studies. |
Participants using mobile can’t complete signature | Embedded PDF signature field may not render properly on certain browsers. | Advise participants to open the consent form on a desktop browser or update their mobile browser to the latest version. |
Have Questions?
Please reach out to us in the chat or at [email protected]!