What does confidentiality in research protect?

Confidentiality in research primarily protects participants' personal information from unauthorized disclosure. This principle is essential to safeguard the privacy of individuals involved in research studies. By ensuring confidentiality, researchers create an environment where participants can provide sensitive information without fear of it being shared or misused outside of the research context. This protection encourages honest and candid responses, which are crucial for the integrity and validity of research findings.

While participants from physical harm and researchers from legal liability are important aspects of ethical research conduct, they do not directly relate to the concept of confidentiality. Similarly, protecting funding sources from scrutiny does not pertain to participant confidentiality and instead focuses on the financial aspects of research. Thus, the emphasis on safeguarding personal information is what makes confidentiality a fundamental component of ethical research practices.