ResearchMatch

ResearchMatch is a free online service for researchers nationwide. It serves as a recruitment tool that will help connect willing volunteers with researchers who are searching for appropriate participants for their studies. ResearchMatch currently has over 81,000 registered volunteers, offering more than 500 research opportunities.These numbers are growing, as the word about ResearchMatch spreads! 

Researchers

Ohio University has recently signed an agreement with Vanderbilt University to make available ResearchMatch as a complimentary recruitment tool to its researchers.

For more information about ResearchMatch and the recruitment opportunities it may offer you, as well as research opportunities it offers to volunteers, go to ResearchMatch. You may also contact the Office of Research Compliance or by calling 740-593-0664.

Participants

Would you like to participate in research?

If so, we are pleased to announce that Ohio University has recently partnered with ResearchMatch, an online service to connect researchers with individuals who have an interest in participating in research. Anyone can join ResearchMatch. Many studies are looking for healthy people of all ages, while some are looking for people with specific health conditions. ResearchMatch can help 'match' you with any type of research study, ranging from surveys to clinical trials, always giving you the choice to decide what studies may interest you. ResearchMatch is a free and secure online registry, which currently has over 81,000 registered volunteers involving more than 500 research opportunities. These numbers are growing every day!

Signing up as a volunteer is easy, involving only four simple steps. For more information about ResearchMatch and the research opportunities it offers, visit ResearchMatch homepage.

What is the overall objective of ResearchMatch.org?

ResearchMatch aims to serve as an effective, useful and complementary recruitment tool that will help connect willing volunteers with researchers who are searching for appropriate volunteers to be placed in their health related research studies (not just clinical trials).

Why is ResearchMatch important?

Research affects our everyday lives – ranging from the medicine we take to the health of our families. Becoming a research participant is a gift you give of yourself to benefit your family, your community and the health of people everywhere. Research needs Healthy Volunteers as well as those with medical conditions. All too often important research studies end early because there are too few research participants in the study. At the same time, people are looking for research studies but are having difficult time finding them. As a result, important questions that can affect the health of our community go unanswered. ResearchMatch helps this problem by connecting people who want to participate in health related studies get connected with the research studies that may be a good 'match' for them through its secure, online matching tool.

Who is involved in ResearchMatch?

Researchmatch.org is a collaborative project, led by the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical & Translational Research, and involves a number of other not-for-profit institutions.

What does it cost to join ResearchMatch?

ResearchMatch is a not-for-profit activity and is free to join.

Who can join?

Anyone from the United States can join ResearchMatch. All ages and backgrounds are welcome. A parent, legal guardian or caretaker may register someone under the age of 19 or an adult that may not be able to enter in their own information.

What if I do not have a health condition - can I still join?

Research needs healthy volunteers as well as those with medical conditions. ResearchMatch encourages everyone who is interested to join.

How can ResearchMatch benefit me?

ResearchMatch may help reduce the time that you spend searching for health related research studies that interest you. ResearchMatch may also help you learn more about the health related research in your community by matching you with a researcher in your area. Your participation has the potential to positively impact the future research for everyone.

Are there any risks to joining?

There is a potential risk of loss of confidentiality of your profile information, but ResearchMatch makes many efforts to keep your personal information private, secure, and confidential until you allow us to release it. You can learn more about the steps ResearchMatch takes to protect your confidentiality by reading their privacy statement. There may also be a chance you could be inconvenienced by receiving too many emails from researchers using ResearchMatch when your anonymous profile is 'matched' with their research studies. If you feel that you are getting too many emails, you can always remove yourself from ResearchMatch by logging in to your profile and selecting this option. Once you do this, all of your identifiable information will be removed and future researchers who are searching the registry will not be able to search for you. However, you may still be able to be contacted by those researchers you have already released your contact information to through ResearchMatch.

Is ResearchMatch only for clinical trials?

No, ResearchMatch will help match any type of approved health related study that is looking for people to participate in their study. You may be contacted about different research opportunities ranging from a survey you can do at home to a clinical trial that may involve you traveling to the researcher's institution.

What happens once I register?

After you register, your profile (without the contact information) will be searchable by researchers who are authorized to use ResearchMatch. If a researcher thinks your profile matches their study's needs, you may receive a message through ResearchMatch from that researcher that tells you a bit more information about the study. You may easily respond Yes or No if you wish to learn more. A yes response will release your contact information to the researcher so they may contact you directly with more information. A no response will keep your contact information hidden. Please remember that even if you respond yes through ResearchMatch, you are never obligated to participate in a study.

How does ResearchMatch protect my information?

ResearchMatch takes your privacy very seriously. ResearchMatch is a secure, central database that will store your information if you wish to be matched with research studies, now or in the future. All ResearchMatch data that is sent between the web server and browsers will be coded (encrypted) using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protection. Another protection is that ResearchMatch will not release your personal contact information until you have given permission for that release. The ResearchMatch registry is a collaborative project between all participating sites, but is maintained at Vanderbilt and overseen by their Institutional Review Board. ResearchMatch will never sell, rent or lease your personal information.

Since I am entering in my phone number, will I start getting a lot of calls if I join the registry?

How many calls you get will be up to you! When you create your ResearchMatch profile, your contact details are 'hidden' from researchers that are searching the registry for possible matches to their studies. Researchers actually send their first message about their study to you through ResearchMatch via email and we route this message to you without the researcher knowing who you are. This way, it is your decision if you wish for your contact information to be shown to the researcher or not after you read more about their study. If you ask that your contact information be revealed to the researcher, then the researcher will have your contact information and then will share more details about their study if you appear to qualify

What if my contact and/or health information has changed?

You can change your profile at any time. You only have to login with your unique username and password to make these changes.

When will I start to hear from researchers if I join ResearchMatch?

You will be contacted as soon as you are matched with a research study. Please remember though that ResearchMatch cannot guarantee that you will actually be contacted by any researchers, although it is certainly our hope that these contacts will occur.

Do I have to participate in a research study if I join ResearchMatch?

No, you will never have to participate in a study. It is always your choice!

What if I change my mind about being part of ResearchMatch?

You can remove yourself from ResearchMatch at any time. You simply login to your profile and select this option. Once you do this, all of your identifiable information will be removed and future researchers who are searching the registry will not be able to search for you. However, you may still be able to be contacted by those researchers you have already released your contact information to through ResearchMatch.