Building Respondents’ Trust On Confidentiality During Interviews and Focus Groups

How important is it to gain someone’s trust, especially when vital and personal data is involved?

Confidentiality means protecting the private information a person has shared in a relationship of trust. It is about the understanding that it won’t be shared with anybody else unless it is in a way that aligns with the original disclosure.

In human research conducted by Research and Integrity Security, confidentiality includes the researchers’ agreement with their participants, when applicable (i.e., through informed consent), regarding the handling, managing, and distributing of their personal identifiable information (PII). People might only agree to provide information for research purposes if they know it will be kept private and hidden from unauthorized parties or disclosure outside of the study environment.

However, such technological progress can come with increased risk, like data breaches that could expose the research participants’ PII and damage a company’s reputation. Given the increasing amount of information being shared online, people are now consciously gathering this data to engage in suspicious marketing strategies and possibly commit data privacy crimes.

In this blog, let’s explore how to maintain confidentiality in research for focus groups and individual interviews.

How to Ensure Confidentiality in Research

Informed Consent

Getting informed consent from your respondents is crucial in safeguarding electronic data and guaranteeing ethical research practices. As you explain to your respondents the purpose of your research, clearly describe your study's objectives. Explain the kind of data you are collecting, such as written responses and audio recordings.

Ensure no personal identifiers are linked to data; all responses are kept private for confidentiality. In addition, describe the process of anonymizing or, if required, pseudonymizing the data.

Specify data users (research team, stakeholders) and purposes like analysis, reports, and publications. If appropriate, describe how long the data will be kept on file and its safe removal at the study's completion.

Moreover, remind your respondents that participation is entirely voluntary and that they can leave at any time without facing any consequences. Let your respondents know they are free to answer any questions and tell them about the possible risks (such as emotional distress or privacy issues) and how they will be addressed. Emphasize any direct or indirect benefits to the respondents, such as incentives or the opportunity to contribute to worthwhile research.

Anonymity

Participants must stay anonymous for protection and freedom of expression. Refrain from gathering excessive personal information from your participants, such as complete names, addresses, or phone numbers. Avoid directly attributing remarks made by participants in focus groups unless they have permission to be identified. "One participant mentioned..." or "several group members noted..." are some generic references you can use during your research setting.

Additionally, inform your participants immediately if any comments made within the group should remain confidential. Encourage people to express their opinions by emphasizing the need for respect and privacy.

Participants' desire to be named in a report or publication, such as a case study, must be willingly done with their express consent. This option should be specified in the informed consent form. If they opt to be identified, let your participants know they will have complete control over their information, including where it is used.

Present results in aggregate form whenever possible when analyzing and reporting data. This preserves anonymity and keeps personal opinions and experiences hidden. Avoid using direct quotes that could be traced back to specific people unless participants consented to be identified by name.

Secure Data Storage

Protecting your participants' sensitive data and maintaining the integrity of your research depends on secure data storage. To incorporate secure data storage best practices into individual interviews and focus groups, keep all notes, audio recordings, video recordings, and transcripts in encrypted files. Use software or encryption tools that adhere to industry standards, such as AES-256.

In addition, make sure that you choose cloud storage services that offer end-to-end encryption if you're using them. Some services have built-in encryption, although third-party encryption tools are an additional security measure.

Non-Disclosure Agreement 

For online group discussions and interviews, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) must be used to protect private data, promote trust, and guarantee moral behavior. It protects confidential participant information, exclusive research techniques, and insights.

Through NDAs, you can also ensure your research findings, conversations, and answers are confidential and not disclosed to outside parties. It gives participants and stakeholders peace of mind regarding protecting shared data.

Before the talks start, gather all NDAs and indicate the legal consequences of non-compliance while using simple language to avoid confusion. Inform your participants that information, such as research data, discussion topics, and participant input, are considered confidential, — thus limiting who can share or use the information outside of its intended purposes. Indicate how long the confidentiality obligation lasts, even after finishing the project.

As a researcher, you can also describe the guidelines and limitations for managing, exchanging, and discarding data. Clearly outline the legal consequences of non-compliance as well. To expedite the process for distant participants, use platforms such as Adobe Sign or DocuSign when implementing NDAs.

Limited Recording

Building trust, adhering to institutional and legal ethical standards, and safeguarding private participant data from breaches or misuse, are all advantages of this process. Before proceeding to focus groups or interviews sessions, let the participants know that the session will be recorded and get their express written or verbal consent. Steer clear of recording private or sensitive information unless specifically required.

Furthermore, keep recordings on trustworthy, safe cloud storage services that provide encryption (such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or specialized research tools). Ensure recordings are also encrypted at rest and during transmission (TLS/SSL). Restrict folder permissions, two-factor authentication (2FA), or passwords to ensure only authorized personnel can access.

Focus group participants can be excused from the group or agree not to have the session recorded if they object to being audio and video filmed. Though this must be explained in the study application, revealed in the permission form, and approved by participants, video editing technologies that blur or block sure participants may also be utilized.

Team Training and Reporting

For some reasons that guarantee moral, legal, and valuable advantages, maintaining confidentiality respects your participants' privacy and is consistent with ethical research procedures. Members of the research team, including moderators, analysts, and support personnel, should follow appointed procedures at every step of the research process and be highlighted in thorough training and reporting.

More engagement is also encouraged by emphasizing confidentiality, guaranteed through team training and reporting, especially from individuals with sensitive material to disclose. This adds depth and diversity to your insights. However, study secrecy prevents data from being tainted by external influences or prejudices. It ensures that there hasn't been any outside interference or manipulation and that the outcomes are genuine and correct.

Main Points

As much as you need all the information to make your research study successful, it would help if you kept in mind that protecting your participants' information is the most important thing. To gain a much deeper trust, include your research team's contact information for any inquiries concerning the study or the rights of your research respondents. You must also declare and add a clause stating that participants understand their rights and agree to participate by the terms specified.

Civicom® Marketing Research Services Ensures That Your Data is Safe and Secure

Civicom® Marketing Research Services provides web-enabled qualitative tools for market research. Our full-service solutions include online IDI and focus group facilitation, mobile research, online communities, respondent recruitment, an AI report writing tool, plus other personalized solutions for your research needs. Contact us to see how we can help you achieve project success.