Engagement begins at recruitment: Comparing videoconference verification to passive online screening for participant retention and study engagement
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Researchers who conduct studies online increasingly struggle with fraudulent respondents, programmable bots, inattention or carelessness, and ineligible impostors. This study tested whether participants in a longitudinal intervention study who were recruited using videoconference eligibility verification-meeting participants one by one on Zoom to verify their identities-were more engaged in the study tasks and showed better longitudinal retention. Using existing data from a sample of Canadian young adult women (N = 1257), we compared participants who were screened via videoconference to participants who were passively screened (i.e., possessed valid e-mail addresses) and participants who were pre-screened members of a commercial participant platform (Prolific.com) on seven measures of retention and six measures of engagement with study tasks. Results showed that videoconference-verified participants had better rates of study initiation and retention, with over 90% completing all study waves. However, we found no meaningful differences between recruitment streams as a function of time to survey completion, engagement with the study's intervention activities, or honest responding. Videoconference eligibility verification may be a practical tool for recruiting participants likely to remain enrolled in longitudinal research and limit attrition.
Source: Behavior Research Methods
Authors: Andrea Howard, Johanna Peetz
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,990
OpenAlex ID: W7213412603
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