Skip to main content

Participant Payment

RESEARCH PARTICIPANT COMPENSATION 

WVU Prepaid Card Services
WVU OHRP Standard Operating Procedure

The WVU IRB DOES review the protocol for participant compensation (method, amount, frequency) as part of its charge to protect the participant from possible coercion and undue influence.

The WVU IRB DOES NOT approve the products (software, services, gift cards, etc.) used to compensate participants. WVU PCPS has approved Prepaid Technologies as the standard compensation/payment system.  Other pre-approved products are listed below. 

OBTAINING APPROVAL TO USE A PAYMENT PRODUCT

UNIVERSITY STANDARD PARTICIPANT COMPENSATION PRODUCT:

OTHER PRE-APPROVED PRODUCTS:
The products listed below are pre-approved. While approval to use the product/service is not required, WVU Procurement, Contracting and Payment Services must be contacted first to obtain approval to purchase gift cards or execute contracts.
  • MTurk, Prolific, CINT, Cloud Research - The researcher can purchase the service directly from the vendor by using a WVU Pcard.
  • Qualtrics - Contact WVU Procurement and Contracting Services (PCPS)  and request the Qualtrics enterprise contract number.  PCPS must sign the the contract. 
  • Amazon/Wal-mart Electronic Gift Cards/Gift Cards - The use of ALL gift cards must be pre-approved by purchasing as per WV state law. Please make sure to get pre-approval from WVU PCPS before making a purchase.

UNAPPROVED PRODUCTS:
If the products and services listed above cannot be used, click on the link below to submit an approval form:

 Participant Payment Method Approval Form

You will be contacted within 1-3 business days by the WVU staff responsible for approving products and services for research participant payment.  Note the IRB and WVU OHRP do not have the authority to approve new products or services. 

IRB APPROVAL FOR COMPENSATION PLANS

The IRB reviews and approves participant compensation plans within the protocol to ensure that plans (amounts, method and frequency)  are not coercive and do not present undue influence. The description of plan is also part of the consent process. Therefore, the IRB must review statements regarding compensation in the consent document(s) to prevent any statements that may be misleading, inaccurate, or otherwise violate the regulatory requirements of consent.

Compensating research participants for participation in research is not considered a benefit. Payments for participation are provided to reimburse participants for their time, effort, or other expenses. 
Review the WVU OHRP SOP for more information.