Undue Influence or Exploitation — A Qualitative Inquiry into an Ethical Dilemma Around Payment in Crowd Work-Based Research in the U.S.

Abstract

Ethical issues specific to payment in academic research via crowd work (a.k.a. crowd work-based research) have not been extensively examined or discussed in the prior literature, while similar topics have been debated in biomedical research for years. In particular, IRBs’ perspectives are lacking in the current scholarship about research ethics and crowd work in the U.S. where crowd work-based research has become a popular arena for human subjects research. To fill these gaps, we interviewed 32 scholars and IRB directors and analysts in the U.S. to probe their perspectives on ethical issues in crowd work-based research. In this paper, we revealed an ethical dilemma between undue influence, fair payment, and whether the monetary incentive can be regarded as a research benefit to crowd workers. Based on these findings, we reflected on the origin of this ethical dilemma, compared and critiqued the scholars’ and IRBs’ ethical positions in this respect. Afterward, we discussed our research implications for scholars, IRBs, and crowd work platforms in the U.S. and reported our research limitations and plans for future work.