SURVEYSYNERGY · RESEARCH GUIDES
How to find participants for student research on a small budget
Plan recruitment for an honours, master’s or PhD project without assuming you need a large paid panel.
Separate the number you want from the people you need
Before posting anywhere, define the sample your research question needs. A target of 100 responses tells you very little without eligibility criteria and a reason for that target. Use your study design and analysis plan to justify the number, with your supervisor where appropriate.
Write a one-sentence eligibility statement that a potential participant can understand. Avoid burying exclusions halfway through the questionnaire. If a person cannot take part, they should find that out before spending time on your measures.
Make a recruitment plan you can actually manage
Pick a few routes to start with: a university network, an appropriate community group and a study-sharing community, for example. Record the date, wording and destination of each invitation. Follow the recruitment procedures agreed for your project.
Set aside time to answer questions and check the survey on a phone. If people report a broken link or unclear question, a fast response is more useful than another round of promotion. Do not pressure classmates or colleagues to participate.
Watch what happens after the click
A high visit count can coexist with very few completed surveys. Check whether people are getting stuck at eligibility, account verification or a confusing page. A small test with volunteers can reveal these issues before you send a wider invitation.
Keep recruitment sources in mind when describing your findings. A sample drawn largely from postgraduate groups may be useful for some questions, but it should not be described as representing all adults.
Where SurveySynergy fits
You can use SurveySynergy to build a questionnaire, share its link and export completed responses. Participant targeting is free. Researchers and volunteers use the same platform, so contributing to other studies can be part of your research routine.
We are building the participant community. Bring your own recruitment routes as well, and assess whether the people available match your project. No platform can turn an unsuitable sample into a suitable one simply by increasing the response count.