Informed consent to research is generally perceived as something very different from informed consent to the practice of medicine. At an operational level, this perception is correct. There are major differences that reflect important distinctions between the nature and purpose of research and practice. However, at a more basic level, there is much more similarity than difference, since the fundamental purpose of informed consent is the same in research, practice, or in any other context. In this survey of the similarities and differences between research and practice, I shall write in general terms about the nature of research and practice, or what they are generally thought to be, without addressing the many exceptions to these generalizations. Informed consent to research is a very formal process.1 Federal regulations require that the investigator develop a comprehensive account of the "elements of informed consent" for presentation to prospective subjects. In some cases,