Participant identification, selection and recruitment

Research in the sports and exercise sciences usually depends on participants volunteering their time and effort and taking on some element of risk. For researchers, it is key to recruit a sample of participants that is appropriate for the research question at hand and to ensure that the participants are suitably informed, comfortable, motivated, compensated and protected. Achieving the recruitment of a good sample of participants for any research question involves a number of theoretical, statistical, ethical and inter-personal factors. In this chapter, we discuss many of these factors from the early stages of designing a study and considering which population to study, through to sample size planning, sampling and recruitment, and communication with potential participants. We discuss current practice and evidence and provide recommendations and reference to other helpful resources with the aim to inform researchers of the many intricacies of these processes and the importance of considering them in the planning stages of any research project.