The good participant paradox: BenevolentMisrepresentation as a response to research exclusion

Research participation fraud is typically framed as incentive-driven dishonesty, yet altruistic motivation is near-universal among research candidates. A paradox is created when well-intentioned individuals misrepresent their eligibility information to join studies they believe will help others, rather than for personal gain. This phenomenon, termed benevolent misrepresentation, is poorly understood and increasingly consequential as online research recruitment and screening become more widespread.

This study examined when and why well-intentioned individuals misrepresent their eligibility during health research screening.

A sequential mixed-methods design was employed, including observational analysis of 10,734 screening submissions from a large-scale urinary microbiome study, qualitative analysis of excluded candidate correspondence (n = 25), and a quantitative survey of individuals from the same patient population (n = 438).

Misrepresentation was predominantly situational rather than a reflection of persistent underlying dishonesty. A Two-Stage Model emerged: emotional responses, altruistic salience, and perceived eligibility predicted whether individuals resisted exclusion, while perceived eligibility alone differentiated whether resistance took the form of legitimate challenge or misrepresentation. 24.01% misrepresented their eligibility in at least one scenario. Exclusion criteria that dismissed experiential knowledge in favour of clinical diagnosis elicited the highest misrepresentation rates; unspecified exclusion criteria elicited the lowest.

These findings, grounded in procedural justice and moral self-licensing theory, challenge fraud-detection models by suggesting misrepresentation is strongly associated with perceived injustice rather than intentional dishonesty. The psychological mechanisms of benevolent misrepresentation in unremunerated research are explored through the lens of a Two-Stage Model of Benevolent Misrepresentation, and practical recommendations are provided to help researchers avoid the identified triggers.