RECRUITING PARTICIPANTS
1. Be prepared to meet people who do not trust research.

Some people have heard bad things about research. For example, many people know about unethical research in the Tuskegee syphilis experiments. Some of the other stories people have heard are true and some of them are not.

People are concerned about many things. People get upset when they think that researchers take advantage of people of color, or that researchers take information and give nothing back. People worry that researchers lie about how they will use personal information. Some people also worry that when the research is over they will lose some of the services they receive.

We have strict ethical standards for research. Research involving people must be approved by an ethics board called an Institutional Review Board (IRB). There are penalties for breaking the rules. Depending on the situation, projects can be shut down and researchers can lose their jobs. (Click here for more information.)

The administrative actions the government may take against researchers who have been found guilty of research misconduct include, but are not limited to:

• debarment from eligibility to receive Federal funds for grants and contracts,
• prohibition from service on PHS advisory committees, peer review committees, or as consultants,
• certification of information sources by respondent that is forwarded by institution,
• certification of data by institution, imposition of supervision on the respondent by the institution,
• submission of a correction of a published article by respondent, and
• submission of a retraction of a published articles by respondent.

Which administrative actions, the number of administrative actions, and the length of the administrative actions depend on the seriousness of the misconduct, the impact of the misconduct, and whether the misconduct demonstrates a pattern of behavior. Administrative actions are usually imposed for 3 years, but have ranged from 1 to 10 years. ORI generally relies on the cooperation of the institution where the respondent is currently employed to assist in implementing administrative actions.

Be prepared to explain to research participants that there are rules protecting people who participate in research.

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