How to Ensure Confidentiality of research participants

Maintaining confidentiality of research participants is an ethical standard in academia and must be followed stringently. Academia places a higher value on research participant confidentiality because a breach of data privacy is unethical and compromises the participants. Ethical concerns and values uphold the research integrity and add value to the research process. However, the question remains that how researchers can ensure the confidentiality of research participants. Researchers can take several measures to ensure the confidentiality of participants, and this article will tell you how to do it.

What is confidentiality in research?

Protecting the participant’s personal details is what confidentiality is all about. The written consent method creates a confidentiality clause between the participant and the researcher that protects the participant’s information, private details, answers, and so on. The confidentiality entails assuring the research participant that his or her private details will not be revealed to individuals outside the research group unless discussed and agreed upon.

Participants should be made aware of how their information will be preserved both during and after the study, as well as that what measures the researcher has in place to ensure the confidentiality of research participants. Assuring the research participants that their data will be protected relieves them, and they can share candidly what they know about the issue, and the researcher can benefit from the shared details. However, it places a huge responsibility on the researcher to live up to their word and take active measures to ensure data confidentiality.

What measures can be taken to ensure confidentiality of research participants?

Informed Consent

Researchers should add an informed consent clause in their data collection procedures while collecting data. If the researcher is collecting data through surveys, then it is imperative to create a separate section beside the questions and inform the readers about the measures the researcher has in place to protect the research participants private data. However, suppose the researcher collects data through interviews or focus group discussions. In that case, the researcher must verbally inform the research participants about the confidentiality measures. If necessary, the researcher must prepare a contractual document that holds the researcher liable to legal prosecution if he or she breaches the data confidentiality. 

Safe Storage

The first measure to ensure the confidentiality of research participants is to store their private information in safe storage. If the data collection was online, then the researcher must store the data in an encrypted folder or hard drive. Strong encryption and password combinations should be employed to protect the data against confidentiality breaches. Researchers often keep the data in unsafe locations, and consequently, the data is susceptible to cyber-attacks, compromising the data validity.

Also, in the long run, the researcher must keep updating the encryption methods and implement the latest encryption tools to keep the data protected. Encryption also entails using a strong anti-virus software and firewall protection to ensure the protection of research participant information. It ensures the protection of data against cyber breaches and prevents unauthorized personnel from accessing sensitive information. Physical data can be protected by keeping it in safe storage, such as cabinet files with proper locks, and its whereabouts should only be confined to the researcher or any other person involved in the research process.

Administrative Measures

Administrative measures pertain to the strategies that ensure confidentiality of research participants by specifying who has access to the data and what rights they have. Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of participant information is generally more challenging when several people have access to personal and sensitive information. Consequently, only a minimal number of study personnel who have all been informed about the need for confidentiality should have accessibility to participant data.

If the research involves more than one person, then it is imperative to conduct a training session for other researchers beforehand and inform them about the ethical implications of data confidentiality. They must be obliged to sign the confidentiality contract because then they are bound by law, and if they breach the confidentiality, they would be liable to prosecution. These deterrents ensure confidentiality of research participants data and uphold ethical standards.

Research Design Measures

Measures built into the study design of research, known as research design safeties, assist secure research participants’ confidentiality. The researcher must have a strategy in place to replace the name with anonymity or change the original names of the research participants and assign fictional names (if need be). The researcher must transcribe the raw data as soon as possible and must shred the hard copies of data files as soon as possible once the researcher has compiled and uploaded all of the data in a separate encrypted folder on a computer. It is crucial to remember that researchers must prove to the Research Committee that the privacy of research participants is being properly protected and maintained. The measures used by researchers to safeguard the confidentiality of research participants are efficient and capable enough to withstand any cyberattacks (if the research is extended over a longer period of time).

The privacy and confidentiality section of the research should comprehensively outline the researcher’s commitment to upholding the ethical standards and measures in place to preserve the data. Maintaining data confidentiality of research participants through research design necessitates being skilled at composing an appropriate research design. Moreover, it must be convincing enough to pass the review board scrutiny; therefore, if you encounter difficulties composing a confidentiality mechanism, you can always reach out to professional researchers at dissertation help online.

Shredding

Physical data needs to be shredded because you cannot possibly tear down every single page. After all, chances are that it would be too much to handle. Also, you cannot burn down the pages because you must keep ecological concerns in mind. So, it is best to use a shredding machine and shred the pages once you have stored the required information in digital storage. Shredding is important because doing so will prevent the leak of data and confidential information of the research participant.

 Conclusion

Maintaining the confidentiality of research participants and protecting sensitive information is the hallmark of a true scholarship. Research integrity demands that the researcher is sensitive to the issue of confidentiality and abides by ethical standards to ensure data confidentiality.