How to make a consent form in Google Forms

Creating an informed consent form in Google Forms makes it easy for business owners to get permission, ensuring they follow the legal rules. The customization features of web forms allow businesses to create consent forms online for various situations. Whether it’s for medical records, granting permission for a photo/video project, or obtaining consent for event participation, having the right digital solution matters

Making an informed consent form benefits both businesses and clients, making the process smooth and ethical. This comprehensive guide shows you exactly how to create consent forms in Google Forms, best practices to follow when creating Google consent forms, plus more powerful alternatives for professional needs.

Can you create consent forms in Google Forms?

Yes, you can build consent forms in Google Forms.

Google Forms is a free tool within Google Workspace that allows you to build basic consent forms with multiple choice questions, text fields, and conditional logic. It's accessible to anyone with a Google account and works well for simple consent collection needs.

However, Google Forms has significant limitations when it comes to professional consent forms. It lacks e-signature capabilities, has limited customization options, and provides basic security measures that may not meet industry standards for sensitive information. We’ll have a dataliled feature comparison table to show what types of consent form you can create in Google Forms.

How to create a consent form in Google Forms

You have multiple ways to have an informed consent in Google Forms. From showing a simple explanation text, to having yes/no questions, checkboxes, or multiple choice question; you can select the best consent collection method for your business.

In this tutorial, we'll walk you through the step-by-step process of setting up a consent form using Google Forms:

1. Log in and create a new Google Form

To begin, go to Google Forms and sign in to your Google Account. There are 17 Google Forms templates available, however they are not for informed consent, so you are better off with starting with a blank form. Click the plus sign (+) or "Blank" under "Start a new form".

Creating a new Google Form

2. Add title and description to your form

Click on "Untitled form" at the top and enter a clear, descriptive title for your Google Forms consent form. Optionally, write a description to explain the form's purpose or include some additional information.

Adding a title to the Google consent form

3. Add Your Consent Information Section

Select "Add title and description" (the "TT" icon) from the sidebar next to the form. You can enter details about what the respondent is consenting to in this text box. Add a title like "Consent Information" or "I agree to…". In the description field, include:

Here’s an example:

Adding informed consent section to the form

4. Create your consent questions

Google Forms starts with a single-question field by default. By clicking on this field, you can change the default question to a consent-related one. Or, add a new question by clicking the plus icon (+) in the right sidebar.

Type your consent question in the question field. For example, you can type "Do you consent to participate in this study?" or "I have read the above information and agree to proceed". You can go with the Multiple Choice field type or choose checkboxes if you have multiple items.

Adding consent questions

5. Create a "Consent declined" section

Making a particular form section for people who say "no" helps clarify things. So, if someone decides not to agree, they still get the proper information.

Press the "Add section" button in the same sidebar to create a section for those declining consent. Then add title and description for the details. Fill out information explaining that the user has chosen not to consent, and that declining will not affect anything.

Here’s an example explanation:

Adding a "Consent declined" section to the form

6. Use the conditional format and set up sections accordingly

If you use multiple-choice questions, you might need a conditional format. To achieve this, you need to follow some steps. First, click the three vertical dots (⁞) in the lower-right corner of your consent question. Then press the Go to section based on answer button.

Direct yes responses to the next section, where they can continue the form or submit it. And direct no responses to the consent declined section. Select the dropdown menu for each question and choose the appropriate section to guide users.

If it is not possible to continue the form without giving consent, state so in your “declined consent” message and add conditions to Google Forms that will make sure the form ends when the respondent declines.

Using conditional format

7. Add additional required fields

For a consent form to be legally meaningful, you typically need to collect: Full name, date, and sometimes email address. Add these questions or other fields for essential information you need to collect. For example, in some waivers, you need the respondent to confirm if they have any special conditions, disabilities, dietary restrictions, and so on.

Adding other required questions

8. Test & share your crafted consent form

Before sharing with real users, click Preview (eye icon) to see how respondents will see it. Fill out your form multiple times, trying different scenarios. Once you make sure everything works as intended, share it with respondents or embed it on a web page.

Sharing the consent form

Limitations of Google Forms for consent forms

While Google Forms works for basic consent collection, it has significant limitations that may make it unsuitable for professional or legally complex situations:

A better option to create consent forms: forms.app

While Google Forms serves basic needs, organizations requiring professional, legally compliant consent forms should consider specialized form builders like forms.app. Here's an objective comparison of why forms.app offers significant advantages:

How to create a consent form on forms.app

forms.app offers a range of features, including over 100 consent form templates, user-friendly interface, drag-and-drop form builder, and AI features to make the form creation process effortless.

Below, you’ll find step-by-step tutorial on creating a consent form with forms.app. Also, check out the guide to consent forms for detailed instructions and helpful information.

1. Choose a consent form template, start from scratch, or generate with AI

To begin, log in to forms.app, or if you dont have an account, you can effortlessly sign up for a free one using your email, Google account, or Apple account. Then choose from consent form templates on forms.app or use AI to describe and create your consent form.

Choosing a starting option

2. Add and customize questions

After selecting a template or starting from scratch, customize your form by adding questions using the drag-and-drop feature. Write your questions based on the identified consent type. Here are just some of the form fields you can use to create a consent form on forms.app:

And these are just the start. You also have page breaks, multiple choice questions, email, date, address fields, and many more.

Adding questions to your consent form

4. Customize your form

Making your consent form look professional and match your brand is easy with forms.app. Your consent forms will look and feel professional out of the box, no matter the form layout you choose. Plus, you can add your own logo to your form, add a background image, change colors, font details, and the form layout.

Customizing the consent form

5. Embed or share your consent form

After completing the creation of your consent form, you have the opportunity to integrate it into your website or share it directly through email. Explore embedding options like Standard, Full-page, Chatbox layout, Side tab, Pop-up, and Slider for embedding. You can also share your form on social media or create a QR code for it.

Choose an embedding option for your website

Bonus: Set up notifications and integrations

On forms.app, you can get a notification whenever someone submits a form. There are numerous ways to automate what happens after you get a response. For example, you can create a custom PDF template to export each form response automatically.

Setting up custom PDF documents for your consent form

Frequently asked questions about consent forms in Google Forms

Final words

Creating effective consent forms is essential for legal protection, regulatory compliance, and ethical business practices. While Google Forms offers a free, accessible starting point for basic consent collection, it has significant limitations that make it unsuitable for many professional applications.

If your organization needs consent forms with electronic signatures, GDPR compliance, professional branding, advanced conditional logic, or integration with other systems, specialized form builders like forms.app provide significant advantages. Thank you for reading this far, and we hope this article offered the information you were looking for about creating consent forms in Google Forms. If you have any questions, the forms.app team is always willing to help you and answer your questions.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about creating consent forms and does not constitute legal advice. Consult with a qualified legal professional for guidance specific to your situation.