Work

Experimental Study of Informal Rewards in Peer Production

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: We test the effects of informal rewards in online peer production. Using a randomized, experimental design, we assigned editing awards or "barnstars" to a subset of the 1% most productive Wikipedia contributors. Comparison with the control group shows that receiving a barnstar increases productivity by 60% and makes contributors six times more likely to receive additional barnstars from other community members, revealing that informal rewards significantly impact individual effort.

Source: PLoS ONE

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034358

Authors: Michael Restivo, Arnout van de Rijt

Institutions: State University of New York, Stony Brook University, University of Maribor

Language: English

Topic: Wikis in Education and Collaboration

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,382