Compensation and payment
Paying co-researchers and participants for their involvement in research should be a key consideration when designing the research
Paying co-researchers and participants for their involvement in research should be a key consideration when designing the research, writing research grants and negotiating facilitators and barriers to participation with participants (Flicker et al., 2007; MacKinnon, et al., 2021; Vaccaro, 2020). Ensuring appropriate payment is in place has significant implications for the ethical validity of the research, as well as the legacy of the project with the communities involved.
Key Considerations
- Make sure any remuneration is time-sensitive, respectful of all those involved, and responds to the wishes and needs of participants.
- Negotiation and shared decision-making on preferred method of payment is key.
- Be transparent about the implications and time-frames of the different options.
- Minimise the administrative burden for participants and provide accessible and non-judgmental support for the administrative elements; ensure there is shared understanding and dialogue throughout, and pay for individuals’ time of doing any administration or forms involved.
- It is important to be mindful that in some cases, gift cards/vouchers could be perceived as condescending (MacKinnon et al., 2021).
- If vouchers/gift cards are the individual’s preferred option, ensure you allow people to pick specifically what voucher would be valuable and useful to them (e.g., which shops do they have easy access to, would they prefer vouchers to somewhere they can get hot food, gym/shower access, bedding, new clothes, technology devices, etc.).
- Ensure that individuals have all they need for payments to be used, e.g., if participants choose online vouchers, ensure that person will have access to devices, the internet, an address for delivery, and follow up to ensure that payments have come through.
"The practice of paying peers who are often economically marginalised is complex and must be done with attention to context, population-specific needs, equity and justice." (MacKinnon et al., 2021, p.900; see also, Roche et al., 2010)
Key Insights
Key Literature
Key links
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Cite as: Scott-Barrett*, J., Marshall-Brown*, A., Livingstone-Banks, M., Chrisinger, B., Scher, B., Hickman, M. (2023) Participatory Research: Researcher Insights. University of Oxford *(joint first authorship)