Build a consent page

Most studies start with a consent page: the information participants need before they decide to take part, followed by a clear choice to agree or decline. In Surbee a consent page is made of three parts:

1. A Text block with the study information.
2. A required Multiple choice question with the options I agree and I do not agree.
3. A logic rule that ends the survey when someone picks I do not agree.

If you ask Surbee's AI for a consent page, it builds all three for you. You still need to check each part, as described below.

1. Write the study information

Put the study information on the first page of the survey, in a Text block above the consent question.

When Surbee's AI drafts this text, it fills the parts it cannot know with placeholders in square brackets, for example [Insert researcher name], [Insert study duration] or [Insert IRB contact]. Replace every placeholder with your real details. Search the page for the [ character before you publish to make sure none are left. A participant who sees "[Insert ...]" on a consent page has not been properly informed.

Typical study information includes:

• The study title and the names of the researchers.
• What the study is about and why it is being done.
• What taking part involves and roughly how long it takes.
• Any risks or benefits.
• That taking part is voluntary and that participants can stop at any time.
• Whether responses are anonymous or confidential, and how the data will be stored, used and kept. See Anonymity and respondent data for what Surbee collects.
• Who to contact with questions: the researcher, and your ethics board or IRB with the approval reference if you have one.

2. Add the agree or decline question

Below the study information, add a Multiple choice question. Word it so the choice is unambiguous, for example "Do you agree to take part in this study?", and give it exactly two options:

• I agree
• I do not agree

Select the question and turn on Required, so nobody can continue without making a choice.

3. End the survey when someone declines

1. In the editor, open the ... menu on the consent page and choose Add branching. You can also select the consent question, open its Logic tab and click Open logic builder.
2. Click + Add branching rule.
3. Set the rule to: When your consent question, equals, and type I do not agree in the value box.
4. Under Then, choose End survey.
5. Click Save Logic.

The value must match the option text. Capitalisation and punctuation are ignored, so "i do not agree" also works, but a different wording such as "No" does not.

What participants see when they decline

When a participant picks I do not agree and continues, the survey ends immediately. They skip every remaining question and go straight to the survey's ending page: the last page of your survey, if it has no questions on it (usually a thank-you page). If your survey has no such page, they see the standard Response Submitted screen.

Their response is still recorded, and it contains only the consent answer. This gives you an accurate count of how many people opened the study and declined.

If your ending page thanks people for completing the study, consider wording it so it also makes sense for someone who declined, for example "Thank you for your time. Your response has been recorded."

How declined responses appear in your results

On the Insights page, open Results. Responses that ended at the consent question show the status Declined, and a Declined filter appears in the status filters so you can view them on their own or leave them out.

In exports, these responses have declined in the Status column, so you can drop them in one step before analysis. See Export your data for analysis.

Test the decline path before you publish

Click Preview and go through the survey twice:

1. Choose I agree and check that you reach the first study question.
2. Click Restart preview, choose I do not agree, and check that you go straight to the ending page without seeing any study questions.

Nothing you enter in the preview is saved, so you can test as often as you like.

If you also need a signature

Some boards ask for a signed consent form. Surbee has a Signature question that captures a drawn signature with a consent statement above it. It records a signature, so it is unsuitable for a study that promises full anonymity. Check with your board which form of consent they expect.