A Reflection Paper On Confidentiality In Fieldwork

Introduction
Undoubtedly fieldwork researchers face a conflict while on one hand safeguarding their subjects from emotional and physical harms and on the other hand providing detailed descriptive accounts that eventually may lead to identification of their respondents. I argue that mainly confidentiality should be maintained unless the consultant or the researcher finds the information most important to the general public and even in such cases the informant should be consulted. I have explained below from social perspective. However even in such cases first and foremost the respondent should be consulted to reveal the information. If the informant found to be reluctant to do that then the researcher after taking the necessary steps, should

Preserving confidentialities could be challenged from different point of view: academic, social, and political. However this paper is confined to exploring the academic and social perspective, in addition I have included my personal experience as a respondent in organizational research is added for better understanding. Thirdly, I will discuss why maintaining confidentiality is a concern in my fieldwork research and the measures I would like to take. Finally I will conclude with my

The researcher should include the issues of confidentiality and ethics in three phases: in the beginning- by including the issue of confidentiality in the planning section of the project proposal; during the ground fieldwork; and in the final stage- when s/he invites the subject to review the research result before publication. (Kaiser, 2009, 4-6) Thus, this will enable to inform all and sharing responsibility and accountability to issues applying to confidentiality amongst the research team. These are the researcher, the subject, support personnel, editors, reviewers and data