Informed consent is a key issue in qualitative research. Conducting qualitative research longitudinally adds further complications to obtaining and maintaining informed consent. This paper illustrates how essential qualities of longitudinal research can be conceptualized as a resource to enhance ethical practice. In a research project on intimate relationships conducted with a cohort of participants, informed consent was addressed orally throughout the duration of the project. Following completion of the longitudinal data gathering, the formalities required as evidence of informed consent were only then conducted with each participant. With the written component of informed consent pending throughout the two year period of data collection, ongoing reflexivity during ethically important moments was enhanced. The author proposes that marking the conclusion of data gathering by obtaining written evidence of informed consent affords a means of enhancing ethical practice.
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