Recruitment Materials

All recruitment materials should contain the following:

  • Institutional logo(s) of the PI (i.e., UofA, AHS or Covenant Health)
  • The UofA Ethics ID (Pro000XXXXX) should be in the footer, with a version date
  • The full study title should be present
  • The name of the principal investigator
  • A clear statement that one is being invited to participate in a research study
  • A contact name (such as study coordinator) with phone number and email address. This contact number should be a UofA phone number. Personal phone numbers should not be included, especially student phone numbers.
  • A brief description of the eligibility criteria. Any specific exclusion criteria should also be mentioned (as applicable)
  • It is acceptable to state that an incentive will be offered but there should be no emphasis on the amount
  • Provide an estimation of the time required to take part in the research
  • Images may be used but should not detract from the information about the study and should not be overly emphasized. E.g., images should not include reference to money if an incentive is offered.

Use of Sponsor Logos - Clinical Trials:

Sponsor branding and logos should not be included on participant facing materials. It is felt that the branding is advertising, which may be potentially misleading and/or coercive to participants. If logos and document headers are used they should be those of the local research team (e.g. University of Alberta, AHS).

Language Requirements

  • Use simple/lay language
  • Avoid jargon
  • Do not use acronyms, abbreviations or mnemonics
  • Avoid terms such as "new treatment", "new medication" or "new drug" without explaining that the test article is investigational
  • For clinical research, avoid the use of acronyms that imply a favorable outcome, e.g., CURE, PROTECT, HEAL, etc.
  • Use "research" or "research study" instead of "trial"
  • Use "participant" in place of "patient", "volunteer" or "subject"
  • Use "healthy participant" in place of "healthy volunteer" or "healthy control"
  • Use "investigational" instead of "experimental"
  • Use "at no cost" instead of "free"
  • Avoid the use of language that is overly incentivizing, e.g., "Do you want to make $50?!!"

 

Resource:

Download the full document: Recruitment Guidelines