Participant Recruitment & Advertising Guidelines

RECRUITMENT

Advertising and recruiting procedures must protect potential participants' confidentiality.

Researchers recruiting participants by means of unsolicited group e-mailings ("spam") is against the SONA policy. If you wish to recruit multiple potential participants at once via e-mail (e.g., studies with additional study population specifics), please contact the SONA administrator who will consider your request on a case-by-case basis.

Do not distribute the names of previous research participants to other researchers without permission from the participants.

ADVERTISING

In cases of additional study-specific information, include the name and e-mail address of the responsible contact person.

Describe the nature of the research and any potential benefits or risks to the participants in ways that are not misleading or coercive.

If applicable, state all eligibility criteria.

The SONA administrator will review the final advertisement to evaluate the wording and the formatting of the text. Inappropriate use of fonts and/or visual effects are discouraged.

Do not state or imply a certainty of favorable outcome or other benefits beyond what is outlined in the informed consent form and the application/protocol.

Do not make claims, either explicitly or implicitly, that the experiment is without any risk or is effective for the purposes under investigation. Such representation is not only misleading to participants but also constitutes a violation of the regulations concerning promotion.

Do not promise "free medical treatment" when the intent is only to say participants will not be charged for taking part in the study.

You may mention that participants will be reimbursed, but do not emphasize the payment or the amount to be paid e.g., by using larger or bold type.

Advertisements should be limited to the information that prospective participants need to determine their eligibility and interest. When appropriately worded, the following items may (but need not) be included.

• begin the title with the research center concerned;
• the name of the investigator;
• the nature and purpose of the research;
• in summary, the inclusion and exclusion criteria that will be used to determine eligibility for the study;
• a brief list of participation benefits, if any (e.g., a no-cost health examination);
• the time or other commitment required of the participants; and
• the location of the research and the person or office to contact for further information.