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Overview
The consent requirements in NS 2.2 apply across every research context, but what satisfies them varies by setting and population. This article addresses consent in several common contexts encountered in market research, social research, and evaluation, and points to the dedicated articles that cover each in more depth.
Panel research
Panel-based research uses pre-recruited participants who have agreed to be contacted for research purposes. Panel membership does not remove the requirement for consent for individual projects: each project requires its own decision. Panellists must receive adequate information about the specific project (NS 2.2.2) and must have a genuine opportunity to decline participation in projects that do not interest them or that touch on topics they prefer not to discuss. See Market research panels for how this plays out in commercial panel operations.
Organisational research
Research conducted within organisations, including employee surveys, customer research, and stakeholder consultation, requires particular care around consent given the potential for power dynamics to compromise the voluntary nature of participation (NS 2.2.9). Where a supervisor, manager, or commissioning body has influence over a participant, that relationship must be considered when designing recruitment and consent. See People in dependent relationships (NS 4.4) and Avoiding coercion.
Consent to future use: specific, extended and unspecified consent
Data collected for one project cannot automatically be reused in a later project. The National Statement provides three consent options for this: specific consent, limited to the project at hand; extended consent, covering projects that are an extension of, or closely related to, the original project, or in the same general area of research; and unspecified consent, covering any future research (NS 2.2.14). See General consent requirements for the detailed framework, including documentation obligations. This matters particularly for program and policy evaluation, where later rounds of a program or meta-evaluations across multiple projects may want to draw on previously collected data.
Research or evaluation with children and young people
Research and evaluation involving children and young people requires consent or assent according to the child's or young person's maturity. Agreement should ordinarily be obtained from the child or young person themselves where they have capacity to consent, or from the child or young person's assent together with a parent's, guardian's, or other authorised person's consent where the child does not have that capacity (NS 4.3.4). Where a child or young person lacks sufficient maturity to provide assent or valid consent, involvement is justifiable only in limited circumstances (NS 4.3.5). See Children and young people (NS 4.3) for detailed requirements.
Research or evaluation with participants who lack capacity
Where a participant lacks the capacity to consent, consent must be obtained from a person or appropriate statutory body exercising lawful authority on their behalf, and that decision must not be contrary to the participant's best interests (NS 2.2.12). Capacity can fluctuate, and researchers/evaluators should design processes that are sensitive to this rather than treating capacity as fixed. See People with disability or illness (NS 4.5) for further guidance.
Research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Consent processes in this context may properly involve families, community elders, or formally constituted bodies alongside the individual participant (NS 2.2.13). See Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (NS 4.7) for the applicable framework and consultation requirements.
Online research and evaluation
Online research and evaluation raises specific questions about the validity of click-through or conduct-implied consent mechanisms. Consent may be expressed by conduct, such as return of a survey (NS 2.2.5), but the mode chosen must still match the nature, complexity and risk of the research/evaluation. Where an online study involves sensitive information or elevated risk, a more robust consent mechanism, such as explicit affirmative confirmation, is likely to be required rather than passive continuation past an information page. See Online/digital research for further guidance.
Related resources
This page was last updated on 16 September 2026.
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This article makes reference to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2025. It is intended as practical guidance and does not constitute legal advice.
AI Disclosure: Resources in this library were prepared using Large Language Models with input from Iris Ethics staff who guided the scope and design. Subsequent revisions and final versions were developed and approved by Iris Ethics staff.