Increasingly, behavioral scientists rely on crowdsourcing platforms (e.g., Amazon’s MTurk) to collect large datasets rapidly and inexpensively. However, by heightening the distance between participants and researchers, these platforms render the participants “invisible,” and thereby raise ethical concerns related to participant autonomy. Moreover, because many participants use these platforms to earn a living, researchers must consider issues of fair compensation, and the relationship between employment and research participation. We present an overview of ethical considerations raised by the invisibility of crowdsourced research participants, including recommendations for researchers to consider in deciding whether and how to utilize these platforms. Specifically, we recommend that researchers: explore alternatives that distinguish research from employment; strengthen participant-research communication, including by recognizing and utilizing participant expertise in study design; and, explore alternatives that do not require “payment,” or, barring that, determine and pay appropriate compensation. We conclude by locating these ethical considerations in the context of broader calls for more thoughtful data collection.
Engaging Ethicists in Animal Research Policymaking