Recruiting through ResearchMatch: A Guide for Rutgers Researchers

Before using ResearchMatch for recruitment, you are required to receive approval from the IRB to use ResearchMatch (RM) as a recruitment tool. This process also requires that you submit to the IRB for approval the language you propose to use for the following documents:

• Initial contact email, which briefly introduces your study to the pool of potential participants and invites participants to indicate whether they wish to receive additional information or not. RM has specific requirements for these initial emails (for more information about the initial contact email requirements or for an example of initial contact email). ResearchMatch will provide an email link to all of the volunteers meeting your study’s inclusion criteria. These links then allow the investigator to send the IRB-approved initial contact message through the secure RM clearinghouse to the volunteer. The volunteer expresses their interest by replying “yes”, “no” or “not responding” to the email.
• Recruitment email is sent to interested participants who have replied “yes” to the initial contact email. RM has specific requirements for these recruitment emails (for more information about the recruitment email requirements or for an example of recruitment email).  The investigator’s ResearchMatch dashboard will lists the volunteers who have replied “yes” and it will provide the investigator with their contact information. Once a volunteer has authorized RM to release their contact information, the research team is responsible for managing the contact per their IRB approved study protocol. The investigator’s RM home page also will provide aggregated figures/charts displaying volunteer response rates by study.

When requesting recruitment access you will be required to upload a copy of your IRB approved protocol.  In addition to your approved protocol, you are required to provide some additional information which has been listed below.  All of this information is required and it needs to be submitted in one document in the following order:

1. Copy of your approved IRB protocol
2. Documentation of IRB approval to use ResearchMatch as a recruitment tool
3. Copy of the IRB approved initial contact email
4. Copy of the IRB approved recruitment email

Failure to provide any of this information will result in automatic denial of your request for recruitment access.

For Questions?

Contact the Rutgers ResearchMatch liaisons at researchmatchatrutgers@rbhs.rutgers.edu or visit the ResearchMatch FAQs page.