General Recruitment

Recruitment materials—including advertisements—are considered an extension of the informed consent and participant selection process. Recruitment may not begin until Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval has been obtained.

Faculty or department webpages that list studies may include only basic directory information—such as the study title, brief purpose, contact details, and IRB number—without IRB review. If a webpage includes recruitment language (for example, descriptions of procedures, benefits, compensation, or time commitment), it is considered an advertisement and requires IRB approval prior to posting.

The following are examples of common recruitment methods for human research studies.  All recruitment methods must be described in the IRB application.

• Use advertisements, notices, and/or media to recruit subjects.  Examples include flyers posted in public settings, social media ads, newspaper ads, and radio and television advertisements.

• QR Codes in Advertisements: When using QR codes, they must link only to IRB-approved materials (e.g., an approved flyer or study webpage). QR codes may not collect or track personal information, and each advertisement must still include all required study details—such as the study title, IRB number, and contact information—directly on the ad. IRB submissions that include advertisements with QR codes need to include both the advertisement and the linked to information.

• Direct recruitment of participants unknown to the researchers.  Examples include approaching people in public settings, snowball sampling, use of social networks, and distribution of recruitment information via listservs.
• Provide colleagues with an IRB-approved Introduction letter describing the study.  This letter would explain the purpose and procedures of the study and inform individuals how to contact the research team.
• Send an IRB-approved letter to certain individuals asking for referrals of eligible participants interested in the study.  The researchers may provide the referring individual with IRB-approved recruitment material for the study to give to potential participants.  If interested, the participant contacts the researchers for additional information.
• Approaching your own students or employees can raise ethical concerns due to the power differential. Include strategies in the study protocol to minimize the risk of undue influence, such as assuring that participation is voluntary, that declining will not result in any negative consequences, and that participating will not curry favor.

For studies that involve recruitment of patients from a medical practice or other treatment facility, investigators should familiarize themselves with the organization’s policies on recruiting patients for research. The initial contact may need to be initiated by the physician or an employee of the practice or facility. Recruitment may also take the form of a flyer posted in the waiting area or handed to potential participants by a physician or employee of the practice or facility.

 

Advertisements

Visual elements that exaggerate benefits or emphasize payment (for example, “GET PAID $100!!!”) are not acceptable, as they may create undue influence.

Generally, the elements of any advertisement to recruit participants should be limited to the following:

• The name and address (or affiliation) of the PI and/or research facility.
• The title of the study and the IRB number.
• The condition being studied and/or the purpose of the research.
• In summary form, the criteria that will be used to determine eligibility for the study.
• A brief, straightforward and truthful description of the potential benefits, if any, to the participant from participating in the study (Note: compensation is not a benefit).
• If applicable, a statement that compensation is available or a statement of how much compensation is available, e.g., “Participants may receive up to $100.”
• The length of time or other commitment required of the participants.
• The location of the research and contact information for obtaining additional information.

Advertisements in the UConn Daily Digest or UConn Health Healthline should include the IRB number and should not include references to payment in the title or subject line.

Advertisements should not incorporate elements that:

• State or imply a certainty of favorable outcome or other benefit beyond what is in the informed consent form.
• State or imply that the study offers “treatment” without explaining that the intervention is investigational.
• For studies of FDA regulated products such as drugs, devices, biologics, or nutritional supplements:
  • make claims that the test article is safe or effective for the purpose under investigation or that the test article is known to be equivalent or superior to any other product.
  • use terms such as “new treatment,” “new supplement” or “new medication” without identifying it as investigational.

Refer to the FDA’s Information Sheet: Recruiting Study Subjects for additional information.

 

Recruitment/Advertising Tips and Suggestions

• Understand the target population.  What media does the population read or view?  Where do they go for information?
• When appropriate, make concerted efforts to recruit participants from under-represented groups.  Describe those efforts in the protocol application.
• Spend the time to make the recruitment flyers easy to read and understand.  Advertisements should be written using plain language, at an 8th grade reading level that is appropriate for the participant population.  You should select a font style and size that is easy to read.

A sample, recruitment flyer template.pdf is available for your reference.

 

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