Which of the following is a consideration when conducting research involving minors?

When conducting research involving minors, it is essential to implement special protections to ensure their safety and rights. The rationale behind this consideration is that minors are generally considered a vulnerable population due to their limited capacity to make informed decisions and understand the implications of their participation in research. Consequently, specific regulatory and ethical guidelines are in place to safeguard their welfare.

These protections may include obtaining parental or guardian consent, providing age-appropriate information about the study, and ensuring that participation does not expose minors to undue risk. Additional measures might involve allowing minors to provide their assent, meaning that while legally they cannot give full consent, their willingness to participate is important and should be respected.

In contrast, the other choices do not appropriately reflect the ethical and regulatory frameworks for research involving minors. Parental consent is indeed required and critical, minors can participate in research under certain conditions, and verbal consent alone is generally insufficient without proper documentation and assurance of understanding.