G11 - [IN-PERSON ONLY] Bots as Study Participants: and Online Human Subjects Research

This session is being held in-person only at PRIMR23. It will not be recorded for on-demand access or for the PRIMR23/SBER23 Virtual Meeting.

Researchers who use online platforms often aim to collect data from hundreds or even thousands of participants. Bots, programmed to complete surveys in minutes, can sabotage the online research system by posing as eligible human participants. Bot programmers have developed ways to create a normal distribution across responses or craft open-ended responses using extracted language from the survey itself to appear logical or believable. Bot-generated responses can jeopardize data quality, add undue researcher stress, delay study timelines, and potentially absorb researchers' valuable resources, especially when the study offers participant payment.  The recent spike in bot programmers makes it essential for researchers to remain diligent and develop quality attention checks to identify bots, but not overburden legitimate human participants. Researchers should always consult technology experts for data security strategies particular to their research design. This panel will offer the latest strategies for online data collection, bot prevention, and data security management.