Attribution Apprehension, Automated Attribution, and Creative Integration

Some online communities are better than others in standardizing and automating the attribution process. This study examines how automated attribution can alleviate attribution apprehension and thus facilitate creative integration in open communities. Attribution apprehension, i.e., a user's anxiety over proper attribution of reused artifacts, adversely impacts the tendencies to engage in the integration process. Because open communities thrive on the basis of fairness, automated attribution features are essential in fostering creative integration. This study draws upon task-technology fit to craft a theoretical framework for explaining this phenomenon, reviews current tools for automated attribution in different communities and describes findings of a pilot survey on how those tools can encourage creative integration.