In a study, the researcher often collects sensitive and personal information from the respondents. Protecting this data is not just a legal imperative, but also a moral and ethical one. One of the ethical strategies researchers adopt to safeguard participant identities and confidentiality is ‘coding.’ Coding replaces identifying information with a non-identifiable code.
Anonymity and Confidentiality
Two central principles in the realm of research ethics are confidentiality and anonymity. Anonymity ensures that the information provided by the subjects cannot be matched to them. Confidentiality, on the other hand, refers to how researchers handle the disclosed information, ensuring it won’t be accessible to anyone unrelated to the research.
The Concept of Coding In Research
Coding in research ethics is the replacement of identifiable information with a non-identifying alias or code. The individual data is then stored separately from other identifying elements. This strategy assists in protecting the participants’ identities and helps assure them that their data won’t be mishandled, helping to build trust.
Ethical Issue: Breach of Confidentiality
When a researcher applies the process of coding to subjects’ identities on individual data, the principal ethical issue is the potential ‘breach of confidentiality.’ This issue arises when the codes used to replace identifiable information are not adequately protected, and the method of coding could be reversed, unintentionally revealing the subjects’ identities.
Such a breach could harm the participants, potentially exposing them to psychological harm, embarrassment, or even legal issues depending on the nature of the information. It also would damage the trust relationship between the subject and the researcher, thereby harming the research community as a whole.
Approach to Mitigate This Ethical Issue
To counteract these potential breaches, researchers must undertake stringent steps to protect the coding process and stored data. These could include maintaining the code separately from the research data, as well as applying encryption techniques to protect both data sets. Limiting access to the codes and educating all members of the research team about upholding confidentiality will enhance the robustness of these controls.
In conclusion, while coding plays a crucial role in protecting the subjects’ identities, it presents the significant ethical challenge of ensuring a secure and uncompromised confidentiality environment. Effectively managing this issue is pivotal in maintaining trust in the research process, protecting participants’ rights, and upholding the researchers’ ethical obligations.
