A recent post on the PRIM&R blog Ampersand drew our attention to the issue of using social media to recruit research subjects. A Harvard-based working group recently published an open access guidance document titled, “The Use of Social Media in Recruitment to Research: A Guide for Investigators and IRBs.”
The guidance document, though fairly long, provides a good recap of the value of using social media to recruit participants, and background on some of the related ethical and practical issues. The guidance will be helpful both to those seeking to incorporate social media use into their recruitment strategies, and to IRB members who review such research.