Most of this section needs more information

We use a number of sources for recruitment in the lab. The most successful are the BU quickie jobs board, and Craigslist.

Online Recruitment Survey

Additional information to be supplied

There is a general recruitment database for LATN studies called “Lablab”. It is password-protected on the Jupiter common server. See instructions in the first tab of Lablab for use.

In order to contact participants from this database, you MUST be on study staff for the studies referenced.

Internet Advertising

Craigslist

Free Option ($0/ad):

• http://boston.craigslist.org/vol/
• At the top right corner of the “Volunteers” page, there is a link called “Post”
• When asked to choose a category, choose “Volunteers”
• When asked to choose a region, choose whichever best fits (e.g. metro west or Boston/Cambridge/Brookline)
• Put the IRB-APPROVED text into the “Posting Description” section (you may need to shorten your title to fit)
• Under “Compensation,” put the full amount of compensation subjects may earn
• Easiest way to post the ad, is to re-post!

 

Paid Option ($45/ad):

• http://boston.craigslist.org/etc/
• At the top right corner of the main page, under the “Jobs” column, scroll down and select “[ETC]”
• At the top right corner of the “Jobs” > “et cetera jobs” page, there is a link called “Post”
• When asked to choose a category, choose “et cetera”
• When asked to choose a region, choose whichever best fits (e.g. metro west or Boston/Cambridge/Brookline)
• Put the IRB-APPROVED text into the “Posting Description” section (you may need to shorten your title to fit)
• Under “Compensation,” put the full amount of compensation subjects may earn
• Easiest way to post the ad, is to re-post!

Other websites

• Clinical Trials at Partners (http://clinicaltrials.partners.org/Main.aspx)
  • Note: this is a Partners web site is not the same thing as ClinicalTrials.gov. See below for more information
• CenterWatch (http://www.centerwatch.com/)

College recruitment

• See document saved under common/participants/flyers
• BU quickie jobs is very easy and very high-yield!!

Clinicaltrials.gov

Any protocol that has an ‘intervention’ (MRIs count) must be registered on clinicaltrials.gov. This is a government website run by the FDA. You must provide yearly updates on the trial posting.

• https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/app/template/MainMenu.vm?ts=1&cx=-9fe60x
• Password is in common/confidential/passwords

Paid Advertisements

Postcards

Both CAMDL and LATN have worked with Northpoint Printing to send out postcards to specific demographics within a definable radius of McLean. A postcard drop of 2500 costs about $1800. Here are the steps involved in creating and sending out postcards:

• Use Adobe Illustrator to create a postcard. You can find a past template here: Z:\common\Participants\Postcards for recruitment
  • Adobe Illustrator is installed on the Workstation-10 computer.
• Submit the postcard (in PDF or .doc format) to your study’s IRB. Make sure that your study protocol mentions use of postcards in the section on recruitment. If it does not, you may need to amend the protocol as well as submitting an image of the postcard.
  • Once the IRB approves your postcard, you can email a PDF version to Mike Sullivan at Northpoint Printing: ms@northpointprinting.com. Be sure to include:# of postcards you would like to drop
  • Geography > Radius > Address Based Radius (we have specified 10 miles in the past)
  • Demographics > Gender
  • Housing Type: (we have specified single family & multi family, not PO BOX)
  • Ask for a price quote.
• Once you approve the price quote with your PI and Mike sends out the postcards, you will need to use Peoplesoft to create a requisition. On the “Add Items and Services” page, you should click on “Special Request.”
• 1-2 days after submitting the payment to Northpoint Printing, you should receive an email from Josephine Amico that includes a PO# for the invoice. You must email this PO# to Mike Sullivan to complete the transaction.

Advertise on the T

• Expensive, and not exceptionally high yield
• http://www.mbta.com/business_center/advertising/

TrialSpark

To be supplied

Flyers

IRB-approved flyers are in common/admin/flyers.  In general, it’s a good idea to keep a list of places you flyer and every 2 weeks or so go check them out. You may need to post new copies up because the tabs are all gone. You also want to be sure to take them down before they reach the IRB expiration date. We have a google doc and google map of flyering locations in the area.

On the McLean campus, basically you can flyer anywhere there is space on one of the cork boards. Make sure to use IRB-approved fliers, they should have an IRB stamp on them. The hot spots are:

• Both doors of the cafeteria
• By Cole Resource Center (to the left when walking with your lunch to find a seat inside),
• In Admissions across from the elevator,
• In North Belknap next to the elevator,
• Across from the vending machines by the mail room in the tunnels
• Any place else you can find a cork board or other research flyers! If you want to post them in particular departments (say the Geriatric Psychiatry unit) you should ask the director or secretary of the department if it’s okay to do so. Most departments have locked cabinets where they hang flyers and have limited space for their own advertising.

If you want to flyer in the community, say at a coffee shop, grocery store, gym or library, it’s best to ask someone that works there if it’s okay to put up the flyer.  Harvard removes flyers around 8am on Monday and Thursday.