RECRUITING PARTICIPANTS
5. Research often involves vulnerable people.

Research workers often work with people who can be harmed or pressured easily. These include children, older people, homeless people, and people with mental illness. It also includes people with low incomes, people with HIV/AIDS and people who use drugs or alcohol. People in desperate situations are also vulnerable.

Vulnerable people sometimes say yes to research for the wrong reasons:

• They might not understand what the research involves.
• They might be afraid to say no.
• If participants get paid, they might need the money so much that they don’t make free decisions about signing up for research.

Vulnerable people might also feel pressure to lie in order to participate or to please the research team. Research staff must be extra careful to respect vulnerable people.

Do not pressure people to participate in research. Do not let people pressure you to break the protocol for recruiting participants.

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