How to build a research participation form with consent workflow

Collect participant info and consent in one smooth flow

In this guide, you’ll build a research participation form that allows researchers to collect participant data, include an informed consent step, and manage approvals or follow-ups automatically. Ideal for universities, research institutes, and clinical studies that need an ethical, traceable workflow.
📘 Learn more: Create your first form, app, or portal in a flash

Step 1 — Create your research participation form

Start from your workspace and click + New → Form. You can start from scratch or select the Consent form template from the Template gallery.

Or use Magic Create, describe your goal:

“A research participation form with informed consent, participant details, and follow-up automation.”

Why this matters: it standardizes participant onboarding and ensures proper consent collection for compliance and transparency.
📘 Learn more: How to create any form using Magic Create in Formaloo

Step 2 — Add participant and study details

Include all key identification and study context fields:

• Full name
  
  
• Email address
  
  
• Phone number (optional)
  
  
• Age group or Date of birth
  
  
• Gender (optional)
  
  
• Study name or project ID
  
  
• Researcher name
  
  
• Recruitment source (optional)
  
  

💡 Tip: You can prefill Study name or Researcher name via URL parameters if you run multiple studies.
📘 Learn more: How to use URL parameters to pre-fill form fields

Step 3 — Add consent information and signature

Insert a Content field with your consent statement, explaining:

• Study purpose
  
  
• Data collection and confidentiality
  
  
• Participant rights
  
  
• Withdrawal process
  
  
• Contact details for questions
  
  

Then, add:

• Consent checkbox (“I have read and agree to participate.”)
  
  
• Signature field (digital consent)
  
  
• Date of consent (auto-filled)
  
  

📘 Learn more: How to customize the content field

Step 4 — Add screening or eligibility logic

Use Settings →  Advanced logic to screen participants automatically:

• If Age < 18 → Show guardian consent section.
  
  
• If Study = Group A → Redirect to different follow-up form.
  
  
• If Screening answers = “No” → Skip to disqualification message.
  
  

📘 Learn more: How to add advanced logic to your form

Step 5 — Create conditional pages for consent outcomes

Add two different ending pages:

• If consent = checked: show “Thank you for joining the study” message.
  
  
• If consent = not given: show “Thank you for your interest, you have opted out.”
  
  

You can even redirect consenting participants to a pre-study survey or task.
📘 Learn more: How to set up multiple ending pages with redirect logic

Step 6 — Automate researcher notifications

Go to Settings → Notifications and set up automated emails:

• To researcher: notify when a participant consents and joins the study.
  
  
• To participant: send a confirmation email with a copy of the consent form or next steps.
  
  
• To admin: daily or weekly participation summary.
  
  

Use variables like @participant_name, @study_name, @consent_date, and @researcher_email.
📘 Learn more: How to create and send custom email templates

Step 7 — Generate consent PDFs automatically

Attach a custom PDF template that includes:

• Participant details and study info
  
  
• Full consent text
  
  
• Signature and date
  
  
• Researcher contact information
  
  

This serves as a digital consent record for both parties.
📘 Learn more: How to generate custom PDFs using templates

Step 8 — Add on-update logic for tracking progress

Use on-update logic to automate participant tracking:

• When consent given → Add participant to main study list.
  
  
• When status changes to “Withdrawn” → Notify researcher and archive record.
  
  
• When screening passed → Send pre-study questionnaire link.
  📘 Learn more: What is on-update logic and how it works
  
  

Step 9 — Build your participant dashboard

In Results → Responses, visualize participation data and consent statuses:

• Table view: all participants with consent and eligibility details.
  
  
• Kanban view: group by Status (Pending, Approved, Withdrawn).
  
  
• Charts: show participation by demographic or recruitment channel.
  📘 Learn more: How to create a Kanban board
  
  

Step 10 — Create your researcher portal

From your workspace,  create a Research Management Portal.

Add pages such as:

• Participant submissions (filtered by study)
  
  
• New participant form
  
  
• Consent records (PDFs linked)
  
  
• Analytics dashboard
  
  

Set permissions so:

• Researchers can view only their study participants.
  
  
• Admins can access all data across projects.
  📘 Learn more: How to create a portal and manage users’ access
  
  

Step 11 — Analyze participation with AI

Enable AI Analyze to uncover insights and trends:

• “Total participants per study.”
  
  
• “Common disqualification reasons.”
  
  
• “Demographic distribution across studies.”
  📘 Learn more: Uncover insights and trends in your data with AI Analyze
  
  

Pro tips

• Add linked rows to connect this form to your Study Database or Survey Responses.
  
  
• Enable Memory Forms so returning participants’ data pre-fills automatically.
  
  
• Add conditional redirects to follow-up surveys or consent withdrawal forms.
  📘 Learn more: Build personalized and time-saving flows with logic, automations, and AI
  
  

Example scenario

A researcher shares the Study Participation Form with volunteers. When a participant completes consent, the system automatically generates a signed consent PDF, adds the record to the Main Study Database, and emails the researcher. AI Analyze later identifies that 65% of participants were referred from social channels, guiding recruitment strategy for the next phase.
📘 Learn more: How to personalize ending pages and email notifications with AI

FAQ

1. Can I manage multiple studies with this setup?
Absolutely, create one central portal with study-based filters.

2. Can participants receive copies of their consent forms automatically?
Yes, attach a personalized PDF in the confirmation email for transparency.

Your research workflow is live, compliant, organized, and automated

You’ve built a fully functional research participation form with consent tracking, secure records, and automated communication. Keep improving it with logic, linked forms, and AI to ensure compliance and participant trust.

Last updated October 2025

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