> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.dscout.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.dscout.com/guides/recruiting-with-confidence/recruitment-approaches-in-dscout.md). # Recruitment approaches in Dscout Once you know where your participants will come from, the next step is to decide how you'll get them into your study. In Dscout, you have two options: **standalone recruitment** and **auto-**recruitment. In cases where both recruitment approaches are supported, you'll select one during study creation. ### Standalone recruitment Standalone recruitment isolates your recruitment criteria and screener questions into a dedicated step in your research. This means you'll build a standalone screener, use it to find participants, and then add your chosen participants manually to a study afterward. {% hint style="success" %} Standalone recruitment works with all Dscout study types **except intercept studies**. {% endhint %} **Standalone recruitment is best if you:** * Need to verify use or ownership of something, like a dog, an app, or a piece of tech. * Want to review each screener application before inviting anyone to your mission. * Require strict quotas for demographics and answer options. * Want to collect a video response to see how participants behave on camera. * Want to invite participants to multiple studies from the same screener. ### Auto-recruitment Auto-recruitment combines the screening step of your research with an actual research study. This means you'll build your screener questions directly into your chosen study type. When you launch your study, applicants will see your screener questions first and are then automatically disqualified or qualified. Those who qualify proceed directly into your study questions. {% hint style="success" %} Auto-recruitment is only available for usability tests, media surveys, AI moderated studies, and intercept studies. {% endhint %} **Auto-recruitment is best if you:** * Don't have very strict demographics or quotas to balance. * Want to move quickly with eligible applicants. * Have broader recruitment criteria that doesn't require verification. * Don't need to collect additional photos or videos in the screener. * Only need participants to complete one study. Now that you're familiar with both where you can source participants and how you can get them into your study, let's look at the logistics of actually screening people to invite in lesson three: [Designing strong screeners](/guides/recruiting-with-confidence/designing-strong-screeners.md). --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.dscout.com/guides/recruiting-with-confidence/recruitment-approaches-in-dscout.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.