Jackson, Corey Brian, Kevin Crowston, and Carsten Østerlund. "Did they login? Patterns of anonymous contributions in online communities." Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 2.CSCW (2018): 1-16.

This study investigates the impact of omitting anonymous user interactions on the analysis of user behaviors in online communities, specifically within the context of online citizen science projects. Researchers analyzed system logs, including both logged-in and anonymous contributions, revealing two key findings: a significant portion of users contribute anonymously with diverse patterns, and including anonymous traces in the analysis significantly alters the empirical evidence supporting theories and the outcomes of system algorithms. These results highlight the importance of considering anonymous contributions to gain a comprehensive understanding of user behavior and to accurately tailor user experiences in online communities.