Cornell University takes its research mission seriously and seeks ways to advance and support research efforts. Sometimes academic research can involve participation by or may require access to data about campus constituencies (i.e., faculty, staff, students, alumni.). For example, students can earn small amounts of extra credit through participation in cognition experiments run through the Department of Psychology. Or, staff might be recruited to participate in a study of dietary habits. These efforts must be reviewed and approved by Cornell’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and undertaken with the informed consent of the participants.
It is important to note that IRB approval does not imply that the University will supply access to lists of names or email addresses for the purpose of recruiting individuals into a study. In addition, having IRB approval does not mean approval to receive and use data about campus constituencies.
Researchers may find other methods useful as they recruit participants for studies:
- Advertise in the Cornell Daily Sun, the Pawprint, or other publications
- Posters
- Handbills
- “Word‐of‐mouth” pitches or “snowball sampling”
- Advertise on the Department of Psychology’s experiment participation listing service
In general, however, the University will not provide or release email address lists for the purpose of soliciting participation in research studies, including those being done as part of undergraduate or graduate research.
The University must exercise careful stewardship of its resources. Email address lists and related registries of campus constituencies are maintained for administrative purposes and used for official University communications.
Requests for lists and data must be directed to and approved by the constituent data stewards (see Policy 4.12 for the list of data stewards).
Relevant university websites: