Factors Associated With Payments to Research Participants: A Review of Sociobehavioral Studies at a Large Southern California Research University

Brandon Brown, Logan Marg, Zhiwei Zhang, Dario Kuzmanović, Karine Dubé, Jerome Galea

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Along with a dearth of regulatory guidance, little empirical research has examined factors related to participant payment in research. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 100 institutional review board (IRB)–approved sociobehavioral human subjects research protocols at a large research university in Southern California. The proportion of studies that paid participants differed significantly by type of research ( p < .001) and study population ( p = .009). The average payment amount also differed significantly by study population ( p < .001) and type of participation (in-person vs. remote; p < .001). In addition, studies that required more visits ( p < .001) and more time ( p = .011) paid significantly more than studies with fewer and shorter visits, respectively. These findings provide data to help inform future ethical payment practices.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalJournal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics
Volume14
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2019

Keywords

  • paying research participants
  • research ethics
  • institutional review boards

Disciplines

  • Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Social Work

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