Safeguarding Online Research in Eating Disorders Against Fraud: Increasing Risks and Practical Recommendations

Recent growth of online research has been accompanied by an increase in reports of fraudulent participants, which can significantly comprise research validity. Drawing from our experience using Qualtrics with open recruitment, existing literature, and emerging studies in eating disorders (ED), we outline the risk and provide simple, practical recommendations for preventing, detecting, and managing fraudulent participants in online ED research.

Over the conduct of a three-round Delphi consensus study with 138 English-speaking individuals aged 18 and older, we were inundated with fraudulent sign-ups between July and August 2024, despite implementing multiple fraud prevention strategies. In response, we introduced additional fraud mitigation strategies and established a three-step procedure for identifying and managing fraudulent participants.

The additional fraud mitigation measures, including a second reCAPTCHA, a duplicate question for consistency checks, and modified attention check questions, potentially aided in preventing further fraudulent sign-ups. Our procedure involving manual comprehensive review of all incoming survey data and checks against a fraudulent participants' profile enabled us to identify and withdraw suspected or likely fraudulent participants.

With increasing fraudulent participation rates and rapidly advancing technological advancements such as artificial intelligence, all online studies are at risk and researchers need to be proactive in their use of antifraud practices to safeguard online research. Our practical recommendations can assist future researchers in managing fraudulent participants.