Recruitment

Anyone delegated by the Principal Investigator can assist with recruitment activities and provide IRB approved study materials to prospective participants. The IRB application will need to address the recruitment process and avenues that may be utilized (including physician, friend and other referrals). Anyone assisting with recruitment should not have any conflict of interests or undue influence with the proposed study population.

Those only involved with disseminating or relaying IRB approved recruitment materials/information do not have to be listed on the IRB application. They need to be listed as an investigator when they cross the threshold into consenting for the study or answering questions about the study. Questions should be directed to the investigators listed on the IRB and only IRB approved personnel can consent participants.  

Please see our Recruitment Process SOPs, under Recruitment Assistance – Determining Engagement to learn more about who does NOT need to be added to the IRB application. 

• A finder’s fee or referral is a payment from the researcher or sponsor to a person who refers a prospective participant. The IRB may allow finder’s fees or referral fees on a case-by-case basis if appropriate justification is provided and the potential for coercion or undue influences is minimized.   
• Recruitment bonus payments are payments from the sponsor to the researcher or organization based on the rate or timing of recruitment. The IRB will not allow bonus payments which are designed to accelerate recruitment that are tied to the rate or timing of enrollment.  

Unless the study relates to teaching strategies or methods in a particular course or major, faculty members should avoid recruiting from within their own classrooms, especially prior to submitting term grades. If it is necessary to recruit one’s own students, there must be a recruitment plan utilizing a third party unassociated with an instructor-student relationship. In cases where regular classroom activities are also the topic of research, investigators must clarify for participants (and/or their legal guardian) those activities that are optional and distinct from required classroom activities. A student’s decision about participation may not affect (favorably or unfavorably) grades, potential letters of recommendation, or other opportunities or decisions made by teacher-investigators.  

Recruitment materials must be limited to the following information the prospective subjects need to determine their eligibility and interest:   

• The name and address of the investigator or research facility   
• A statement the study involves research , and the condition under study or the purpose of the research   
• In summary form, the criteria that will be used to determine eligibility for the study

The following may be required if determined it would be helpful or necessary to communicate up front, or an investigator may just choose to include these:

• A brief list of participation benefits, if any
• The time or other commitment required of the subjects   
• The location of the research and the person or office to contact for further information
• Additional study specific information

You must upload all final versions of recruitment materials for review, including but not limited to the following:  

• E-mails and letters  
• Flyers  
• Social media ads  
• MU Info ads  
• Phone or in-person scripts (word of mouth recruitment methods should utilize a script)  
• Videos (if the video file is too large, you may upload a detailed description of the video and/or transcript).  

Please see our Recruitment Process SOPs for guidance on the use of Recruitment Panels, such as Prolific, Amazon Mechanical Turk, and Qualtrics Panel.  

Be sure to check “Employees” in your inclusion criteria on the application when using a recruitment panel, as subjects are considered employees of the company/recruitment panel.  

This is done with an initial application or an amendment. Both forms ask if you would like to advertise the study on the Division of Research (RII) website. Checking “yes” will prompt additional questions about your study. Once the application or amendment is approved, the information you provided will appear on the RII website. 

If you wish to remove the listing, please submit an amendment and change your answer about advertising on the website to “no." Your study information will be removed after the amendment is approved. The listing also will be removed from the website if the project is closed to enrollment or has expired.

Please see our Recruitment Process SOPs for guidance on Recruitment Materials Utilizing Social Media.  

If you are not the account owner and not able to respond to questions/comments, identity who will respond and how they will handle questions/comments. If they are not on the research team, they should only be referring to recruitment materials or providing investigator contact information. However, if they can monitor for inappropriate comments and delete when necessary.  

Please see our Recruitment Process SOPs for guidance on Identifying Subjects through their Medical Record. See our HIPAA FAQs for additional information related to HIPAA requirements.

If an investigator is utilizing the medical record to identify and contact subjects in a study, the plan must meet at least one of the following requirements:

1. One or more investigators on this IRB submission have a treating/provider relationship with the patients as potential subjects and will be providing oversight regarding utilization of any PHI for this research.
2. There are no investigators listed on this project with a treating/provider relationship, however a plan has been established to work directly with a provider with a treating/provider relationship, who will be providing oversight regarding utilization of any PHI, prior to initial contact with patients as potential subjects. For PHI from an entity other than MU Health, documentation will be required indicating the PI has permission to utilize PHI from the covered entity for the proposed research purposes. The MU HRPP/IRB will consider past noncompliance for investigators listed on the study before allowing this option.
3. There are no investigators listed on this project with a treating/provider relationship, and there is no plan to work directly with a provider with a treating/provider relationship prior to initial contact with patients as potential subjects. This option requires consultation with a MU Health department (MU Health Care, CHS, SON, or SOM) that provides clinical education or with the SOM CRTSO. For PHI from an entity other than MU Health, documentation will be required indicating the PI has permission to utilize PHI from the covered entity for the proposed research purposes. The MU HRPP/IRB will consider past noncompliance for investigators listed on the study before allowing this option.

HIPAA regulations apply to the screening process and access to protected health information. The IRB will review requests for HIPAA waivers or alterations when necessary.