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Purpose: This guidance outlines ethical considerations and expectations for compensation individuals who participation in research studies conducted by Ģ����Ƶ University.  

Scope: This guidance applies to all human subjects research conducted under the auspices of Ģ����Ƶ University. 

Definitions  

Compensation – something offered to research participations in exchange for participating in a study. It can be monetary or non-monetary, and common examples include gift cards, course credit, cash, and the opportunity to enter a drawing for a prize. Compensation is different from reimbursement, and compensation is not a benefit of participation.  

Reimbursement – when researchers pay some or all of the subjects’ costs for participation such as transportation, parking, or lodging. 

Coercion – an overt or implicit threat of harm or negative consequence is intentionally presented by one person to another in order to obtain compliance. 

Undue influence – in the context of human subjects research, an offer of an excessive or inappropriate reward or other overture in order to obtain participation in a research study. This could be an unreasonably large amount of monetary compensation, or extra credit/course credit without an alternative way to earn the credit.  

Introduction 

Federal regulations state that researchers must allow potential participants sufficient opportunity to consider whether to participate in a study, and that researchers must minimize the possibility of coercion or undue influence on that decision (). With this in mind, ethical considerations around participant compensation require both a detailed description of available compensation and what must be done to receive the compensation, as well as ensuring that the compensation offered is not an amount that could potentially encourage someone to participate in the research when they may not otherwise be comfortable doing so, nor to put participants at risk of harm.  

What is Fair Compensation?  

The federal regulations governing human subjects research do not require that any compensation be provided to research participants, nor do they suggest a particular amount of compensation. However, offering compensation may boost recruitment and is a way to thank participants for their time and effort. When reviewing a protocol, the Office of Research Compliance and/or the IRB will consider:  

• What does research participation entail?  

• Time commitment 

• Physical or mental discomfort 

• Ease or difficulty of research activities 

• Who is the target study population? 

• Economically disadvantaged 

• Minors/young adults 

• Prisoners  

• Cultural and social considerations 

• Laws or policies that limit compensation for particular types of employment  

• What is the minimum hourly or living wage in the target geographic area? 

It is understandable that fully completed research procedures are ideal for quality data collection, but proportional compensation is recommended whenever feasible, since participants must be able to end participation at any time or skip tasks or questions that make them uncomfortable and should be compensated for the time they did participate. Using large payments toward the end or bonuses for completion is discouraged as this may pressure participants to continue to participate in a study when they no longer wish to. 

Recruitment Material 

It is acceptable for recruitment material such as an email or flyer to reference compensation, but it should not be overly emphasized. Information about the compensation should not be presented in a larger font, bolded, or highlighted. The recruitment material should first and foremost indicate that it is an opportunity to participate in research, what participation entails, the time commitment, and then the compensation.  

Consent Form 

The informed consent form must include details about compensation:  

• The amount of compensation (per visit/task and possible total) 

• The type of compensation (cash or gift card) and disclosure of any fees associated with the card when applicable 

• How the compensation will be delivered (in-person, via email) 

• What conditions, if any, would result in less (partial or pro-rated) or no compensation (for example:  failed attention check questions in a survey or deliberate noncompliance with study activities in an in-person study) 

• If the compensation is a drawing, explain the expected timeline of the drawing and the odds of being selected based on maximum enrollment. If not known due to an unknown number of eventual participants, state that the odds of being randomly selected cannot be determined. Refrain from using the word “raffle” since raffles may be subject to state law requirements.  

• Information that will be collected/reported for tax purposes 

Compensating Minors 

Compensation for children and adolescents must be appropriate for their age and developmental stage. Cash compensation provided to minors has the potential to create issues of undue influence with parents, who must give their permission for their children to participate and may be swayed by the compensation to grant permission when they otherwise would not, or pressure their children to participate when the children may not wish to. Investigators with projects involving parent/child dyads in which participants will be paid should be especially aware of the potential for parents to exert undue influence on their children to assent to research participation. Researchers should consider these issues when determining how and whether to compensate minors and may find that non-cash compensation is more appropriate, especially for younger participants. In studies where parents and older children participate together, researchers are advised to consider the division of labor in study procedures for parents and children and to consider compensating children separately. Assent forms for children should clearly indicate if compensation for their research participation would be given to them or to their parents.  

Cayuse Form 

Ensure that the Compensation and Costs section of the form is consistent with the information in recruitment materials and consent documents. 

Changes in Compensation 

Any proposed changes in compensation plans or structure must be submitted as a modification and be approved prior to being implemented.  

Identifiable Information