What goal does offering incentives in research recruitment aim to achieve?

Offering incentives in research recruitment aims to motivate individuals to participate. By providing tangible rewards or compensations, researchers can enhance participants' willingness to engage in studies, particularly those that may require significant time, effort, or resources from the participants. Incentives can make participation more appealing, especially for studies that target populations that may have barriers to involvement or may not be readily inclined to join research efforts.

Research has shown that incentives can increase recruitment rates, ensuring that researchers can obtain the sample size they need for the study's validity, while also building a diverse participant pool. This approach acknowledges the effort and time required by participants, thus fostering a sense of appreciation for their contribution, which can lead to higher overall engagement in research.

While participant adherence is important, incentives alone do not guarantee that participants will comply with study protocols throughout the entirety of the research. Reducing participant diversity is not a goal of using incentives; in fact, effective recruitment strategies often strive to enhance diversity in research samples. Finally, while incentives may help offset costs for participants, the primary aim is not to eliminate costs but rather to encourage participation.