A Good Name: Pseudonyms in Research

Abstract

People’s names and the places, animals, and items named by people are deeply personal and reflective of their culture and identity, yet in qualitative research, the standard is to use pseudonyms. This practice is thought to protect research participants, but when are “real” names most respectful and appropriate? How might researchers include research participants in these considerations? The purpose of this methodological article is to increase transparency and collaboration around the participant naming process, bringing much-needed attention to issues of power in the naming process in research. The authors review the literature and detail their reflexive engagement with pseudonyms; they advance issues for consideration and provide recommendations in the areas of power in participant naming, culturally responsive research, and pseudonym use with trans people and incarcerated people. Throughout the article, the authors interrupt the text with reflexive narrative interludes to share personal experiences with naming.

Exploring the relationship between vaccine hesitancy and mothers’ perspectives on COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5–11 years during the omicron predominant period 2021–2022: a qualitative study

“…Participants’ ages ranged from 36 to 47 years ( Table 1 ). Pseudonyms were used to describe the participants to protect the identity of the participants and because the sample was demographically similar ( 40 ). The majority of mothers were hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines, and their hesitancy was driven by the unfamiliarity and novelty of the vaccine, balancing the risks and benefits of the vaccine, distrust in government, science, and public health authorities, decreased trust in pediatricians and increased trust in medical specialists.…”

Navigating Cultural Challenges in Transplant Surgery: Insights from Turkish Surgeons

“…Furthermore, in line with our ethical obligations, we took measures to safeguard their social and economic well-being during and after the fieldwork. Studies have demonstrated that ensuring anonymity for informants in qualitative studies not only fosters trust between researchers and participants but also encourages informants to share their experiences without fear of repercussions related to the research topic [11,12]. Since most participating surgeons voluntarily engaged in our research within state-owned hospitals and held academic positions, our study posed no threat to their well-being.…”

“The Best Teacher Is Also a Student”: Improving Qualitative Research Literacy by Learning From My Mistakes

“…I have come to appreciate that naming is a balance between considerations of anonymity, relational ethics with participants and organizations (see Lahman et al, 2022), and a need to include rich descriptions of context. And it does not matter if generic labels are assigned, pseudonyms are used, or real names are kept in, as Guenther (2009) stated, "the act of naming is an act of power" (p. 412).…”