Can researchers use a snowballing technique to recruit for research?

• Snowball sampling is a recruitment technique in which research participants are asked to provide contact information about another person for the purpose of allowing research recruitment.  The technique for recruitment can be appropriate depending upon the nature and sensitivity of the research topic:
  • For low-risk research it may be appropriate for subjects to provide researchers with names and contact information for people they know who may be interested in participating. The researcher could then contact the new participant directly. This process is acceptable in research where participants are asked to give perceptions on a benign topic or participants are in a place that is open to the public
  • For more sensitive research, the researcher should justify the need for the snowball technique and provide mechanisms to minimize the risk of violating the secondary participant’s privacy.  For example: The researcher may provide their contact information, a link to the approved study recruitment information, flyers or QR code to allow participants/stakeholders to pass the recruitment information to others. This process is essential in instances where identifying a new participant would immediately reveal personal information or health status (e.g., drug use) of the new participant.
• The protocol should clearly articulate
  • the justification for the use of the technique in the context of the study and the target population. 
  • Steps taken to minimize the risk of violating an individual’s privacy in recruitment.

• Care must be taken to account for the local culture, political climate, and individual potential participants’ expectation of privacy when determining relative study of the study for the topic.

See NSF FAQ http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/hsfaqs.jsp#snow

Last updated: 5/8/2023