Tag: data integrity
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Widespread image reuse and manipulation found in animal studies of brain injury after stroke
Summary: a troubling pattern in stroke brain injury research A recent analysis published in PLOS Biology reveals a troubling trend across more than 200 papers that examine ways to prevent brain injury after a stroke. The study identified duplicated Western blots and reused images of tissues and cells, suggesting widespread image manipulation and data integrity…
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Experts Call for Action Against Imposter Participants in Health Studies
What are imposter participants? Imposter participants are individuals who provide deceptive or inaccurate data to participate in health research, or automated computer bots that mimic human responses. As online recruitment becomes central to modern health studies—from surveys to randomized trials—the potential for these imposters to skew results grows. The concern, highlighted by Eileen Morrow and…
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Imposter Participants Threaten Health Studies: Experts Call for Stronger Safeguards
The rising challenge of imposter participants in health research Health studies increasingly rely on online recruitment to reach diverse populations quickly and at scale. But this shift has brought a troubling problem to the fore: imposter participants. In a commentary published in The BMJ, Eileen Morrow and colleagues from the University of Oxford argue that…
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Is this response real? Imposters are putting health studies at risk
Imposters in health research: a growing threat to data integrity Researchers conducting health studies increasingly worry about a quiet but serious problem: imposter participants. These aren’t misclassified data points from honest respondents. They are fraudulent entries or bots that masquerade as legitimate study participants, potentially skewing results, misinforming policy, and leading to questionable clinical decisions.…
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Flagged for Fraud: Lessons From 3 Case Studies on Detecting Inauthentic Participants in Online Research
Introduction: The Stakes of Fraud in Online Research As research increasingly relies on remote methods—online surveys, virtual interviews, and digital recruitment—so does the risk of fraudulent participation. Ensuring that study participants truly reflect the target population is essential for valid results, credible conclusions, and efficient use of funding. This article synthesizes three case studies that…