An agreement (usually formal) between two or more otherwise independent entities or individuals, or an individual and an entity, which defines how they will relate to each other.
The granting of permission, agreement, assent or approval. In any research on human beings, each potential subject must be adequately informed of the aims, methods, sources of funding, any possible conflicts of interest, institutional affiliations of the researcher, the anticipated benefits and potential risks of the study, and the discomfort it may entail. The subject should be informed of the right to abstain from participation in the study or to withdraw consent to participate at any time without reprisal. After ensuring the subject has understood the information, the researcher should then obtain the subject’s freely given informed consent, preferably in writing. If the consent cannot be obtained in writing, the non-written consent must be formally documented and witnessed.... consent
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