Insincere Participation: What Your Recruitment Design Is Really Saying (and Who It's Inviting In)
Recruitment materials are often treated as neutral tools, but they actively shape who chooses to participate—and why. In qualitative and decentralized research, where trust and authenticity are critical, poorly aligned design choices can unintentionally attract insincere participants while deterring the very individuals a study aims to reach.
This session explores how recruitment materials function as signals, influencing perceptions of legitimacy, eligibility, and risk. Through real-world case examples and interactive discussion, participants will examine how design elements—such as language, compensation framing, and screening structure—can create vulnerability to misrepresentation. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to align recruitment approaches with study risk tolerance, strengthening both participant authenticity and data integrity.
Presenter:
Sarah Sutter, MPH
Research Project Manager, Recruitment & Retention Program
NC TraCS Institute