Rights of the Research Participants
Research participants have a special bill of rights that are granted to them while participating in a research study. Specifically, they have the right to:
- have enough time to decide whether or not to be in the research study, and to make that decision without any pressure form the individual(s) who is conducting the research
- refuse to be in the study at all, and stop participating at any time after they begin the study
- be told what the study is trying to figure out, what will happen to them, and what they will be asked to do if they are in the study
- be told the truth about any foreseeable risks of being in the study
- be told about the possible benefits of being in the study
- be told whether there are any costs associated with being in the study, and whether they will be compensated for those costs
- be told who will have access to the information collected about them, how their identity will be kept confidential, and how the information will be destroyed
- be told whom to contact with any questions about the research, about research related injury, and about their individual rights.
For more help in deciding if volunteering as a research participant is right for you, please view this brochure from the Office for Human Research protections (OHRP) with information on how to make the decision to be a research volunteer.
If you have been contacted by a Capella researcher to participate in a study and have questions or concerns, please contact the Research Education and Compliance Specialist, at 612.977.4716 or email Kirsten.Walters@Capella.edu.
