Initial Contact Email Requirements

The initial message must be under 2000 characters. This limit includes bolding and bulleting, which add hidden characters. The message should not include any identifiable contact information such as research team email addresses, phone numbers or websites. ResearchMatch expects that all contacted volunteers will respond through the ResearchMatch quick-links that are provided in the email message they receive regarding the study, rather than directly to the research team.

Your message for which you are seeking approval should be placed in the blank area below the intro: “A research team…”

The IRB approved ResearchMatch message will be routed to those ResearchMatch volunteers who fit your study inclusion criteria; ResearchMatch will provide hyperlinks at the close of the message that will allow volunteers to respond “yes” or “no” to the invitation which will release their contact information to this study.

A “yes” response will release their contact information to the researcher. If volunteers click “yes” they are reminded again that their contact information will be released.

If the volunteer clicks “no” or ignores the message, the researcher will not receive any information about the potential volunteer.

Please refer to the Recruiting through ResearchMatch: A Guide for Rutgers Researchers and to the example of an initial contact email.

When you have drafted your initial contact email, please submit it to the IRB for its approval.

For Questions?

 If you have questions or need guidance on preparing the either of the required contact messages please contact your university liaison for assistance at researchmatchatrutgers@rbhs.rutgers.edu.