Informed Consent Policy Statement and Release

TESOL expects authors of books or articles in our serial publications or contributors submitting chapters or units to any collective TESOL publication to adhere to ethical and legal standards for work with human subjects. Although TESOL is aware that such standards vary among institutions and countries, TESOL requires authors and contributors to meet, as a minimum, the conditions detailed below before submitting a manuscript for review. TESOL recognizes that some institutions may require research proposals to satisfy additional requirements.

Authors and contributors will be asked to sign this statement before TESOL will publish their work.

1. You have followed the human subjects review procedure, if there is one, established by your institution, if you work for one.
2. If you are not bound by an institutional review process, or if it does not meet the requirements outlined below, you must comply with the following conditions.

Participation in the Research

1. You have informed participants in your study, sample, class, group, or program that you will be conducting research in which they will be the participants or that you would like to write about them for publication.
2. You have given each participant a clear statement of the purpose of your research or the basic outline of what you would like to explore in writing, making it clear that research and writing are dynamic activities that may shift in focus as they occur.
3. You have explained the procedure you will follow in the research project or the types of information you will be collecting for your writing.
4. You have explained that participation is voluntary, that there is no penalty for refusing to participate, and that the participants may withdraw at any time without penalty.
5. You have explained to participants if and how their confidentiality will be protected.
6. You have given participants sufficient contact information that they can reach you for answers to questions regarding the research.
7. You have explained to participants any foreseeable risks and discomforts involved in agreeing to cooperate (e.g., seeing work with errors in print).
8. You have explained to participants any possible direct benefits of participating (e.g., receiving a copy of the article or chapter).
9. You have obtained from each participant (or from a participant's parent or guardian) a signed consent form that sets out the terms of your agreement with the participants and have kept these forms on file (TESOL will not ask to see them).

Consent to Publish Student Work

10. If you will be collecting samples of student work with the intention of publishing them, either anonymously or with attribution, you have made that clear to participants in writing.
11. If the sample of student work (e.g., a signed drawing or signed piece of writing) will be published with the student's real name visible, you have obtained a signed consent form (use the attached Release Forms for Minors or Adults, as feasible) and will include that form when you submit your manuscript for review and editing.
12. If your research or writing involves minors (persons under age 18), you have supplied and obtained signed separate informed consent forms from the parent or guardian and from the minor, if he or she is old enough to read, understand, and sign the form.
13. If you are working with participants who do not speak English well or are intellectually disabled, you have written the consent forms in a language that the participant or participant's guardian can understand.