PILOT logo, post doc PILOT logo, information PILOT logo, literacy PILOT logo, online PILOT logo, tutorial welcome information contents page search and retrieve contents page acquiring and managing information contents page new technologies contents page
digital footprint contents page
copyright contents page IL pilot license contents page databases contents page publication process contents page
Welcome

Research ethics: Veracity and Confidentialitymoral compass

Veracity means that researchers should tell the truth and pass on information in a comprehensive and objective way. There may be a methodological reason for limited disclosure but this must be carefully justified. Confidentiality is also the subject of a considerable literature and legislation in the form of the Data Protection Act 1998. The term is sometimes used inter-changeably with anonymity. The definitions used by the GCU Ethics Committee are given below:

Anonymity is the protection of the participant in a study so that even the researchers cannot link the subject with the information provided. (LoBiondo-Wood, 2002)

Confidentiality is the prevention of disclosure, to other than authorized individuals, of a participant's identity. (MRC, 1998)

Information obtained from and about a participant during an investigation is confidential unless otherwise agreed in advance. Investigators who are put under pressure to disclose confidential information should draw this point to the attention of those exerting the pressure. Participants in research have a right to expect that information they provide will be treated confidentially and, if published, will not be identifiable as theirs. In the event that confidentiality and/or anonymity cannot be guaranteed, the participant must be warned of this in advance of agreeing to participate. The duty of confidentiality is not absolute in law and may in exceptional circumstances be overridden by more compelling duties such as the duty to protect individuals from harm. Where a significant risk of such issues arising is identified in the risk assessment, specific procedures to be followed should be specified in the protocol.

Reference
Nursing Research.  Methods, Critical Appraisal and Utilization, 5th ed. Geri LoBiondo-Wood, Mosby, 2002. Available in GCU Library at 610.73072 L64
MRC Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice in Clinical Trials, MRC 1998


These pages have been adapted from the GCU code of good practice in research, the GCU research ethics booklet, the BPS code of human research ethics and the HPC guidance on conduct and ethics for students.

GCU logofont +  |   font -  |   Nextsmall plane | small plane Back |  unit home small plane

Creative Commons Licence
PILOT by Imperial College London, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.