Random selection

Random selection is a form of sampling where a representative group of research participants is selected from a larger group by chance. This can be done by identifying all of the possible candidates for study participation (e.g., people attending the County fair on a Tuesday) and randomly choosing a subset to participate (e.g., selecting every 10th person who comes through the gate). This allows for each person to have an equal chance of participating in the study.

Allowing each person in the group an equal chance to participate increases the chance that the smaller group possesses characteristics similar to the larger group. This produces findings that are more likely to be representative of and applicable to the larger group.  Therefore, it is extremely important to adhere to this procedure if it is included in the research design. Ignoring or altering random selection procedures compromises the research design and subsequent results. For example, friends or relatives may be easier or more convenient to recruit into a research study, but selecting these individuals would not reflect a random selection of all of the possible participants. Similarly, it would be wrong to select only individuals who may potentially benefit from study participation rather than randomly selecting from the entire group of individuals being studied. Ignoring random selection procedures when they are called for in the research design reduces the quality of the information collected and decreases the usefulness of the study findings.

Case example of random selection                                                

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