People evaluate procedures, explanations and opportunities to challenge a decision as well as outcomes.
Well supportedSeveral studies or meta-analyses point the same way.
Example
Editorial example: publish contest eligibility and scoring in advance with a route to query a score.
Why it works
Colquitt and colleagues distinguish distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justice in organizational research.
On the web
Expose rules, scoring and correction before participation. Explain necessary changes and let people withdraw.
When it backfires
Workplace research does not establish contest legality. Check applicable law and terms for prizes and personal data separately.
Sources
Synthesizes dimensions of organizational justice and their relationships with attitudes and behavior.
Colquitt, J. A., et al. (2001). Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 425–445. Open source