Ethical Evaluation in Qualitative Research

Abstract

This article explores the experience of being charged with an ethical violation for disclosing the identity of a study participant in a qualitative research endeavor. The violation is presented first as a narrative account from the perspective of the researcher involved. The article looks at different ways in which the situation might be judged, raising questions about what constitutes ethical conduct in qualitative research and how such decisions come to be made. A case is made for the importance of dialogue among qualitative researchers so that the researchers may learn collectively from the difficulties and problems that they have encountered individually.