"Hey! I Know who that is!": How much Detail is too Much when Presenting Results?
Location
3034
Format Type
Event
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
January 2018
End Date
January 2018
Abstract
One of the quandaries we sometimes face in qualitative research is how much detail we can include about participants while still protecting their identities. Over the last few years, I have noticed three main areas where this issue has warranted additional consideration. The first is when reporting back to research sites on study findings. Many of the local school districts, where doctoral candidates and faculty conduct their research, require researchers to submit their findings as a condition of granting IRB approval. When results are shared with people who possess knowledge of the setting, participants become more easily identifiable and researchers cannot guarantee that they will not be identified. The second area of concern is in dissertations. In my qualitative research class, students critique a qualitative dissertation and they often select ones that have been completed by former students. Even though the authors use pseudonyms and try to be vague about some details, my students can often identify the site and/or some of the participants from the studies. The last area of concern regards requests for additional information about participants’ backgrounds or the study setting from journal reviewers. Sometimes, to protect our participants’ identities, we need to omit or modify specifics. When reviewers ask for additional information, it may present a dilemma: to include the information and potentially put participants at risk for identification or to withdraw the paper and spend the time to find a new venue or discard it entirely.
In this presentation, I will discuss the need to be more cautious when engaging in research that we know may be read by people with direct knowledge of our research sites and participants and how the informed consent process does not always take these issues into account.
"Hey! I Know who that is!": How much Detail is too Much when Presenting Results?
3034
One of the quandaries we sometimes face in qualitative research is how much detail we can include about participants while still protecting their identities. Over the last few years, I have noticed three main areas where this issue has warranted additional consideration. The first is when reporting back to research sites on study findings. Many of the local school districts, where doctoral candidates and faculty conduct their research, require researchers to submit their findings as a condition of granting IRB approval. When results are shared with people who possess knowledge of the setting, participants become more easily identifiable and researchers cannot guarantee that they will not be identified. The second area of concern is in dissertations. In my qualitative research class, students critique a qualitative dissertation and they often select ones that have been completed by former students. Even though the authors use pseudonyms and try to be vague about some details, my students can often identify the site and/or some of the participants from the studies. The last area of concern regards requests for additional information about participants’ backgrounds or the study setting from journal reviewers. Sometimes, to protect our participants’ identities, we need to omit or modify specifics. When reviewers ask for additional information, it may present a dilemma: to include the information and potentially put participants at risk for identification or to withdraw the paper and spend the time to find a new venue or discard it entirely.
In this presentation, I will discuss the need to be more cautious when engaging in research that we know may be read by people with direct knowledge of our research sites and participants and how the informed consent process does not always take these issues into account.
Comments
Breakout Session A