Adding pictures, videos, links and using HTML may be helpful in your eConsent to provide additional information for your participants and to make it more visually appealing. However, formatting does not always work when an instrument is converted to a PDF format. The eConsent Framework will create a PDF once the survey is completed.
It is HIGHLY recommended that you test your eConsent as a survey and then view it as a PDF to ensure items render appropriately. Then make changes as needed.
Below is a list of examples with additional information on what will or will not appear on the consent form when rendered as a PDF.
Length of Descriptive Fields
Sections of your eConsent form should be kept short to ensure the PDF renders appropriately. If a descriptive field is too long, the text will run over onto a second page of the PDF and the header & footer information will be lost on that page.
If you have a long section of text, it is recommended that it be split into 2 or more descriptive fields.
Example display of long Descriptive field on a generated PDF from REDCap
Example of long descriptive field writing over and covering header and footer text in generated PDF
Pictures
Images will render on the PDF when set to 'inline image' within a descriptive text field.
Each image should be uploaded to a separate descriptive field.
Example of Descriptive Field images rendering on generated PDF
Tables
Tables created using HTML, Field Embedding and Shazam will not render on the PDF, but a picture of a table will.
If your consent form includes a table, it is recommended that you create the table in Word and then take a screenshot/picture of the table and save it as an image file. Then upload the image to a descriptive text field.
Example of using an image as a table instead of generating an HTML table
Videos
Videos will not render on the PDF.
If using a video in your eConsent form, they cannot be uploaded as a video file (e.g. AVI, MOV, MP4, etc.). A video link is used instead and must be available on a website with an accessible URL (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdxR2rOOMJg). You could include the URL in the field text so participants can view it on the PDF at another time.
Video links will not render on a PDF. If video needs to be referenced, consider adding the link as text in a field.
HTML - Bolded, Color, Hyperlinks, Bullets, etc
HTML is very helpful in creating a finished looking eConsent survey for your participants, but those HTML elements will not render on the PDF.
HTML elements may include bolding, color, headings, hyperlinks, bullets, etc. This includes any items that are altered using REDCap's Rich Text Editor.
If you need to include a hyperlink to another website or a staff contact email, it is recommended that you include the actual URL or email along with the text used as a hyperlink.
Example of HTML not being included in final PDF output
If you have a UW-Madison REDCap project and have questions about eConsent - Formatting Tips, please send them to REDCap@ictr.wisc.edu
