Exercise Science Students as Research Participants in Faculty-Led Research: An Ethical Dilemma

The academic field of exercise science has experienced exponential growth in the past four decades, including in the number of degrees awarded, available job opportunities for graduates, amount of research conducted, and external funding for research. Typically, exercise science students are young, healthy adults, with an inherent interest in exercise science, making them "ideal" research participants for faculty-led research studies. However, these characteristics also make exercise science students particularly vulnerable to coercion and undue influence by faculty researchers aiming to use these students as research participants. Here, we will discuss ethical concerns related to recruiting exercise science students as research participants in faculty-led research related to power differentials, recruitment of female participants, and academic credit. We will provide recommendations to protect potential student participants from coercion, unjustifiable pressure, and undue influence that could undermine their voluntary informed consent.