Posting work as a task maker: writing briefs contributors can follow

If you are on the buying side, the quality of what you receive is set almost entirely by the quality of your brief. Contributors follow instructions literally, which is exactly what you want when building a dataset.

Writing the brief

State the goal in one sentence, then the rules. Say what a good submission contains, what an unacceptable one looks like, and give at least one worked example of each. Ambiguity in a brief multiplies across every submission you receive, so the half hour you spend tightening it is the highest return work in the whole exercise.

The brief supports formatted text, an external reference link, and an attached image or media file where the attachment is the actual subject of the task. Use the attachment rather than describing something in prose when the thing itself can be shown.

Choosing a response method

Pick the narrowest method that captures what you need. Multiple choice is fastest to review and easiest to grade automatically. Written answers give you nuance but need human review. File uploads suit capture work. Comparisons suit preference data. Mismatched methods, such as asking for a free text answer where four options would do, cost you time on both sides.

Setting the payout

Price the task against the effort it honestly takes. Underpriced batches get picked up by people rushing, and rushing is visible in the output. A fair rate attracts the contributors with strong acceptance records, and those are the ones you want on a large batch.

Funding

Work is funded from your wallet. Deposits can be made by local transfer, card or crypto depending on your currency, and the balance is drawn as work is accepted.

Reviewing

Review promptly and give reasons on rejections. Contributors adjust to feedback quickly, and a batch reviewed with clear reasons in the first day usually produces noticeably better output by the second.

Iterating

Run a small pilot batch before the full run. Almost every brief has one unclear instruction that only surfaces when real people answer it.