Fraudulent Participation in Online Qualitative Studies: Practical Recommendations on an Emerging Phenomenon.

Fraudulent participation is defined in the following as participation in research by individuals who, for one reason or another, intentionally provide false responses. Qualitative studies are at an increased risk of fraudulent participation when online recruitment and participation are used, and mon...

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Publicado en:Qualitative Health Research Vol. 36; no. 7; pp. 647 - 658
Autores principales: Mistry, Khaylen, Merrick, Sophie, Cabecinha, Melissa, Daniels, Susanna, Ragan, John, Epstein, Miran, Lever, Louisa, Venables, Zoe C., Levell, Nick J.
Formato: review tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. Jun2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Fraudulent Participation in Online Qualitative Studies: Practical Recommendations on an Emerging Phenomenon.
      aug:
        au:
          Mistry, Khaylen
          Merrick, Sophie
          Cabecinha, Melissa
          Daniels, Susanna
          Ragan, John
          Epstein, Miran
          Lever, Louisa
          Venables, Zoe C.
          Levell, Nick J.
        affil: Department of Dermatology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK
      sug:
        subj:
          Research Subject Recruitment
          Qualitative Studies
          Ethics Committees
          Online Systems
          Motivation
          Fraud
          Data Quality
          Research Ethics
          Medical Practice, Evidence-Based
          Case Studies
          Research Personnel
          Professional Role
          Researcher-Subject Relations
          Consent (Research)
          Research Support
      ab: Fraudulent participation is defined in the following as participation in research by individuals who, for one reason or another, intentionally provide false responses. Qualitative studies are at an increased risk of fraudulent participation when online recruitment and participation are used, and monetary incentives offered. Fraudulent participation threatens data quality and subsequent evidence-based practice, yet validated guidance on how to tackle it is lacking. This paper offers a critical reflection thereon by three separate qualitative research groups that experienced fraudulent participation in collaboration with a patient representative, a bioethicist, a legal expert, a journal deputy editor, and a chief executive of a national charity. The Prevent FRaudulent Online STudy participation (P-FROST) recommendations provide advice on (1) Study set-up (including team members and study design), (2) Monetary incentives and recruitment, (3) Data collection (screening and interview considerations), and (4) Analysis, reporting, and support. The reflection which balances the diverse perspectives of patients, researchers, funders, ethics boards, and legal teams puts forward the P-FROST recommendations to identify and prevent fraudulent participation throughout the design, ethical approval, and implementation of online qualitative research.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        review
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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