"Free medication" implies a therapeutic benefit that an investigational product cannot promise — the drug may not work, may be a placebo, and is not approved for use. "Groundbreaking" is a claim of scientific superiority that no IRB would allow. "$500" presented without context about what the compensation covers creates an impression of payment-for-participation rather than reimbursement for time and inconvenience. And "participating" without any mention of study procedures, risks, or eligibility criteria strips the message of the balanced information the IRB requires.

That single sentence, posted without IRB review, would violate FDA guidance, ICH E6(R3) requirements, and most institutional policies simultaneously. And yet this kind of error happens — not because coordinators are careless, but because the rules governing recruitment language are not intuitive. What sounds like effective marketing often violates the principles that protect potential participants from misleading information.

This lesson teaches you those rules. By the time you finish, you will be able to look at any recruitment material — a flyer in a waiting room, an Instagram post, a letter to physicians, a radio script — and identify exactly what is compliant, what is not, and why.

"Free medication" implies a therapeutic benefit that an investigational product cannot promise — the drug may not work, may be a placebo, and is not approved for use. "Groundbreaking" is a claim of scientific superiority that no IRB would allow. "$500" presented without context about what the compensation covers creates an impression of payment-for-participation rather than reimbursement for time and inconvenience. And "participating" without any mention of study procedures, risks, or eligibility criteria strips the message of the balanced information the IRB requires.

That single sentence, posted without IRB review, would violate FDA guidance, ICH E6(R3) requirements, and most institutional policies simultaneously. And yet this kind of error happens — not because coordinators are careless, but because the rules governing recruitment language are not intuitive. What sounds like effective marketing often violates the principles that protect potential participants from misleading information.

This lesson teaches you those rules. By the time you finish, you will be able to look at any recruitment material — a flyer in a waiting room, an Instagram post, a letter to physicians, a radio script — and identify exactly what is compliant, what is not, and why.