When conducting research, it is important to ensure that participants feel secure in disclosing sensitive information and that their privacy will be maintained. Evaluators and data collectors must take steps to guarantee that the participants’ information will be kept private and confidential once it has been collected.
Steps Toward the Protection of Participant Rights
- Use appropriate discretion when recruiting participants
- Ensure that privacy and confidentiality issues are properly reviewed with the participant during the informed consent process
- Use caution during the research process so that participation in the study does not allow participants to identify each other
- Plan for data storage, analysis, and dissemination that protects confidentiality
- Develop protocol regarding who will have access to research data