RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- While online research is a useful way to reach people who may not take part in in-person studies, researchers are increasingly concerned that fake, automated, and duplicate survey responses can reduce data quality and compromise findings.
A study led by researchers at UC Riverside, the University of Connecticut, Brown University, UCLA, and Fordham University highlights the importance of rigorous participant verification procedures in online health research, particularly when studies recruit hardly reached populations and offer compensation for participation.
Published in the journal AIDS and Behavior, the study enrolled young gay and bisexual men in the United States who used stimulants in an online randomized controlled trial. The trial evaluated a video-based informed consent intervention designed to improve the quality and ethical validity of participants' consent.
Participants were recruited through online platforms and completed an eligibility screener before undergoing a series of verification procedures designed to identify fraudulent, duplicate, or otherwise illegitimate responses.
The team analyzed responses from 9,321 individuals who completed an online eligibility screener. Of those, 2,637 met the study's eligibility criteria. After applying legitimacy and duplication checks, the researchers verified 251 entries as both legitimate and unique who were invited to participate. Ultimately, 158 individuals completed informed consent and 115 completed study participation.
Automated fraud-detection methods identified most problematic entries, while manual reviews and participant verification through phone or video calls provided additional safeguards. The researchers found that relying on a single approach was insufficient and that multiple verification methods were necessary to protect the integrity of online research data.
"As public health research increasingly relies on online recruitment, the question is no longer whether fraudulent responses will occur when offering payment, but how researchers can identify and address them," said Brandon Brown , a professor in the Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health in the UCR School of Medicine and senior author of the study. "Our study shows that a layered approach combining automated screening, human review, and participant verification can substantially improve confidence in online research findings."
The study also found challenges in verifying participants. Phone and video calls helped confirm eligibility, but many people did not respond to verification requests. The researchers note that verification methods need to balance protecting data quality with keeping participation easy, especially for groups who face stigma and privacy concerns.
"Online research allows us to engage populations that are often underrepresented in health studies but maintaining trust in the resulting data requires careful planning and investment," Brown said. "Since research builds on research, researchers should consider verification procedures as a core component of study design rather than an optional step."
According to the authors, internet-based studies should incorporate a combination of automated and manual verification procedures and plan for the staffing and resources required to implement them effectively. They also call for additional research to determine which verification strategies are most effective across different study designs and recruitment platforms.
Brown was joined in the study by co-authors Pablo K. Valente, Giselle O'Connor, and Caroline Useda at the University of Connecticut; Katie B. Biello at Brown University; Matthew Mimiaga at UCLA; and Celia Fisher at Fordham University.
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
The paper is titled "Procedures to Verify Legitimacy and Uniqueness of Responses in an Online Study with U.S. Young Gay and Bisexual Men Who Use Stimulants."
The University of California, Riverside is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment is more than 26,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual impact of more than $2.7 billion on the U.S. economy. To learn more, visit www.ucr.edu .
