Work

The impossibility of anonymity in ethnographic research

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: This article argues that the growth of social media and other forms of digital communication make it impossible for ethnographers to offer anonymity to research sites or to those significant people involved in the research sites. Indeed, it was never actually fully possible to offer anonymity in ethnography. Ethical Guidelines need to recognise these facts and researchers need to modify their research procedures such that the advantages of more openness in research are exploited.

Source: Qualitative Research

DOI: 10.1177/1468794118778606

Author: Geoffrey Walford

Institution: University of Oxford

Language: English

Topic: Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,650

Funder: American Educational Research Association