ArticleJMIR mental health2024
Data Integrity Issues With Web-Based Studies: An Institutional Example of a Widespread Challenge.
Article in JMIR mental health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Exploring Patterns of Self-Harm in Autistic Adults Using the Card Sort Task for Self-Harm.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Article
- Closing the Gap to Interventions for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TAND): Protocol for a Longitudinal Study of TAND Severity, Predictors, and Caregiver Well-Being (TANDem-2).JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Safeguarding Data Integrity in Online Podiatry Research: Understanding and Managing Non-Genuine Participation.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2026Article
- Cumulative social adversity as a correlate of self harm: Validity of the Reward Probability Index.PloS one · 2026Article
- Quantifying acute care nurses' experiences of patient handoffs during shift change: a cross-sectional study.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Too good to be true: Hidden challenges of online research recruitment.The British journal of occupational therapy · 2025Article
- Challenges and Mitigation Strategies in the Development and Feasibility Assessment of a Digital Mental Health Intervention for Depression (VMood): Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Psychotherapy Access Barriers and Interest in Digital Mental Health Interventions Among Adults With Treatment Needs: Survey Study.JMIR mental health · 2025Article
- Advancing translational science through trial integrity: REDCap-based approaches to mitigating fraud and bias.Journal of clinical and translational science · 2025Article
- Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of online recorded recovery narratives in improving quality of life for people with psychosis experience (NEON Trial): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This paper reports on the growing issues experienced when conducting web-based-based research. Nongenuine participants, repeat responders, and misrepresentation are common issues in health research posing significant challenges to data integrity. A summary of existing data on the topic and the different impacts on studies is presented. Seven case studies experienced by different teams within our institutions are then reported, primarily focused on mental health research. Finally, strategies to combat these challenges are presented, including protocol development, transparent recruitment practices, and continuous data monitoring. These strategies and challenges impact the entire research cycle and need to be considered prior to, during, and post data collection. With a lack of current clear guidelines on this topic, this report attempts to highlight considerations to be taken to minimize the impact of such challenges on researchers, studies, and wider research. Researchers conducting web-based research must put mitigating strategies in place, and reporting on mitigation efforts should be mandatory in grant applications and publications to uphold the credibility of web-based research.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.