Fraud, Deception, and Subversion: Recommendations for Maintaining Data Integrity.

IF 3.7 2区 医学 Q1 REHABILITATION
Aditya Dhariwal, Somayyeh Mohammadi, Katherine Golden, Ellyn Pier, Joseph T Giacino, William C Miller
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Researchers increasingly use online tools to advertise studies, recruit participants, and collect data, enabling access to individuals in remote or rural areas, those with limited mobility, and participants facing time constraints. While online platforms offer significant advantages, online research remains vulnerable to fraudulent activity, which can compromise the validity of study findings and deplete both funding and human resources. This special communication describes the real-world experiences of 2 research groups, 1 in Canada and 1 in the United States, who encountered fraudsters in both randomized controlled trials and observational studies. We conducted a literature review and identified 32 peer-reviewed articles addressing fraudulent participation and deceptive behaviors in online research. Drawing from both our experiences and the literature, we synthesize actionable strategies to prevent, detect, and manage fraud throughout the research process, including study design (eg, community involvement), advertisement (eg, limited information), recruitment and screening (eg, knowledge-based eligibility questions), assessment (eg, embedding repeated questions), data analysis (eg, removing fraudulent data), and remuneration (eg, clarifying reimbursement conditions). Despite the availability of these strategies, each study design presents unique vulnerabilities, and not all approaches are universally applicable. Researchers are encouraged to assess the specific risks associated with their study design and select strategies that align with their study objectives, balancing the need to minimize fraud, recruit genuine participants, and maintain data integrity.

欺诈、欺骗和颠覆:维护数据完整性的建议。
研究人员越来越多地使用在线工具来宣传研究、招募参与者和收集数据,从而能够接触到偏远或农村地区的个人、行动不便的人以及面临时间限制的参与者。虽然在线平台提供了显著的优势,但在线研究仍然容易受到欺诈活动的影响,这可能会损害研究结果的有效性,并耗尽资金和人力资源。本特别通讯描述了两个研究小组(一个在加拿大,一个在美国)的真实经历,他们在随机对照试验和观察性研究中都遇到了欺诈者。我们进行了文献回顾,并确定了32篇同行评议的文章,讨论了在线研究中的欺诈参与和欺骗行为。根据我们的经验和文献,我们综合了可操作的策略,以在整个研究过程中预防、发现和管理欺诈,包括研究设计(例如社区参与)、广告(例如有限信息)、招募和筛选(例如基于知识的资格问题)、评估(例如嵌入重复问题)、数据分析(例如删除欺诈性数据)和薪酬(例如澄清报销条件)。尽管这些策略的可用性,每个研究设计都有独特的漏洞,并不是所有的方法都是普遍适用的。鼓励研究人员评估与其研究设计相关的特定风险,并选择与研究目标一致的策略,平衡最小化欺诈、招募真实参与者和保持数据完整性的需要。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
6.20
自引率
4.70%
发文量
495
审稿时长
38 days
期刊介绍: The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation publishes original, peer-reviewed research and clinical reports on important trends and developments in physical medicine and rehabilitation and related fields. This international journal brings researchers and clinicians authoritative information on the therapeutic utilization of physical, behavioral and pharmaceutical agents in providing comprehensive care for individuals with chronic illness and disabilities. Archives began publication in 1920, publishes monthly, and is the official journal of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Its papers are cited more often than any other rehabilitation journal.
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