Most consent forms are written to protect researchers. GDPR expects them to inform the participant. Online sessions could go wrong in many ways: a recorded video call, a client watching silently, a transcript stored for months, and a form that mentions none of it. This guide covers what a focus group consent form has to say, where researchers confuse consent with lawful basis, and three templates you can adapt for online focus groups.
These templates are a starting point, not legal advice. Have your data protection officer or counsel review them against your jurisdiction and your client's requirements.
What a focus group consent form has to cover
An informed consent form for qualitative research does two jobs. It records that the person agreed to take part, and it tells them enough to make that choice properly. For a recorded online group, that means eight things:
- Who is running the research and who the data controller is
- What the session is about and how long it lasts
- What is recorded (video, audio, chat) and who can watch live
- How the recording and transcript are stored, for how long, and where
- Who receives the data, including clients and any transcription or analysis providers
- Whether their words or clips may appear in reports or showreels, and in what form
- That taking part is voluntary and they can leave or withdraw at any time
- How to reach the researcher, their data protection contact, and the supervisory authority
If a form skips any of these, the participant has not been informed. They have been simply asked to sign.
Research participant consent under GDPR: the distinction researchers miss
Ethical consent and GDPR consent are not always the same thing. Agreeing to take part in a study is one question. The legal basis for processing the personal data you collect is another. Many research organisations collect consent to participate while relying on a different lawful basis for the processing itself. Others rely on consent directly. The research organization's data protection officer should decide which applies to their study. If the organization relies on consent, it has to be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous; and withdrawing it has to be as easy as giving it.
A pre-ticked box, a single "I agree to everything" line, or consent bundled into the incentive terms may not always hold up. Two situations warrant particular attention:
- Special category data. Health, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and similar topics need explicit consent or another specific condition. Ask for it separately, not buried in a general clause.
- Minors. You will need a parent or guardian to consent, and the age threshold varies among EU member states.
What changes when the focus group is online
Online focus group sessions add three things a facility-based group never had: a recording that exists by default, observers you cannot see in the room, and software that stores data on someone else's servers.
Participants should know about all three before they join. Send the form with the scheduling confirmation and repeat the key points verbally at the start of the session. Running sessions on Zoom, Teams or Meet keeps the experience familiar for participants, and a private client backroom lets observers watch without appearing on screen.
The same applies after the session. If you store interactive transcripts and analyse across a study, say how long you keep them and who can access them.
Template 1: written focus group consent form
Use this before the session, as part of recruitment or scheduling. Replace everything in [brackets].
We are running an online discussion about [topic in plain language]. It will last about [number] minutes on [Zoom / Teams / Meet]. You will be talking with [number] other participants and a moderator.
We will record the video, audio and any text chat from the session. A written transcript will be created from the recording.
Our research team and [named transcription or analysis provider, if any] will have access. Representatives of [client name or "our client"] may watch the session live from a private observation room. They will not be visible to you and cannot speak in the session.
Your comments will be analysed with those of other participants and used in reports for [client name or "our client"]. In reports, we will [refer to you by first name only / use a participant code / remove identifying details].
We will keep recordings for [period] and transcripts for [period]. After that they will be deleted. Your data is stored in [country or region] and [is / is not] transferred outside the [EEA / UK].
Taking part is voluntary. You can skip any question, leave the session at any time, and withdraw your consent afterwards by contacting [email]. If you withdraw, we will delete your data unless it has already been anonymised or the law requires us to keep it. You also have the right to access, correct or erase your data, and to complain to your data protection authority: [authority name and link].
Please tick each box that applies:
- I have read this form and had the chance to ask questions.
- I agree to take part in the focus group.
- I agree to the session being video and audio recorded.
- I understand that observers may watch the session live.
- I agree to my data being stored and processed as described above.
- I agree to share information about my [health / religion / other special category] for this study, and I understand I can withdraw this at any time.
Template 2: verbal consent script for the start of the session
Read this aloud at the start of the recording, even if participants signed Template 1. It confirms consent on the record and catches anyone who skipped the written round.
What you say will be used for research purposes only, and your name [will not / will only by first name] appear in any report. You do not have to answer anything you are uncomfortable with. You can leave at any point, and you can ask us afterwards to delete your data.
Is everyone happy to continue on that basis? Please say 'Yes' out loud so it is on the recording. If you would rather not be recorded, tell me now or send me a private message and we will sort that out before we start."
- Pause long enough for each participant to answer individually.
- If someone declines, remove them from the recording or end their participation, and note it in your project log.
- Do not start the recording discussion until consent is confirmed on the record.
Template 3: additional consent for clips, quotes and showreels
Video clips travel further than transcripts. They get forwarded, pasted into decks and shown at leadership meetings. Ask for this permission separately.
We would like to use short parts of your session recording, and quotes from your transcript, in presentations and showreels for [client name or "our client"].
Clips may be shown to people inside [client name or "our client"] and [other audiences, e.g. "at internal leadership meetings"]. They will [not be published externally / be used externally in the following way: ___].
Clips may be kept and used for [period]. After that they will be deleted.
This is optional. You will still receive your incentive if you say no. You can withdraw this permission at any time by contacting [email], and we will stop using your clips from that point and remove them where we can.
- Yes, you may use video clips and quotes as described above.
- Quotes only, you may use quotes from my transcript but not video of me.
- No, please do not use clips or quotes that identify me.
Keeping consent records across a study
One study is manageable, but a study comprising 20 groups across 4 markets is where consent records could go missing: forms stay in inboxes, verbal consent is buried in a recording, a participant who withdrew after the group still appears in the findings' deck.
Decide before fieldwork who owns the consent log, how withdrawals are actioned, and which transcripts and clips need removing. When you recruit participants and run fieldwork in the same qualitative research platform, the participant list, recordings and transcripts sit in one place, which makes a withdrawal request a search instead of a scavenger hunt.
- flowres.io is GDPR-ready, ISO 27001 certified, and a member of ESOMAR and the MRS.
- Your data is never used for LLM training.
- You can read more at our Trust Center, review the ESOMAR 20 questions, and see how flowres.io approaches ethics and responsible AI practices.
Start a free trial, or if you would rather see how a consent-to-clip workflow runs on a live project, we can walk you through one.
FAQs
What should a focus group consent form include?
Do you need a separate focus group ethics form from the consent form?
Is research participant consent under GDPR always required?
Can participants withdraw consent after the focus group?
Do you need consent for observers in an online focus group?
Should consent to use video clips be separate from consent to take part?
What is a good informed consent qualitative research template for minors?
Ayushi Jain
(Content Writer)
She is a content writer specializing in the intersection of human inquiry and modern efficiency. Through her work at flowres.io, she explores how qualitative research is evolving and highlights the tools that help researchers maintain their creative flow.
Posted on: Oct 08, 2026
