A rose by any other name: participants choosing research pseudonyms

ABSTRACT

How do researchers name people respectfully in research projects? In an interview study on aspects of aging, 38 participants were invited to choose their own pseudonyms for the research. The resulting discussions show that the common practice of allocating pseudonyms to confer anonymity is not merely a technical procedure, but renaming has psychological meaning to both the participants and the content and process of the research. The care and thought with which many participants chose their names, and the meanings or links associated with those names, illuminated the importance of the process of naming. There was evidence of rules and customs around naming that further confirmed its importance both within their sociocultural worlds, and as an act of research, affected by issues of power and voice, methodology, and research outputs. We invite researchers to consider a more nuanced engagement with participants regarding choosing pseudonyms in research.

KEYWORDS:

• Pseudonyms
• anonymizing
• ethics
• participatory research
• naming
• interview methods

Acknowledgements

We thank the participants in this project for their thoughtful engagement and are grateful for the support of The Hope Foundation for Research on Ageing and the University of Auckland.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ruth E.S. Allen

Ruth E.S. Allen, PhD, PGDipClinPsyc, is a registered clinical psychologist, freelance qualitative researcher, and writer, committed to curiosity and its revelations. How participants in research are engaged and supported is of particular interest. She was a research fellow in social and community health, University of Auckland, for this project.

Janine L. Wiles

Janine L. Wiles, PhD, is a senior lecturer in the section of Social and Community Health, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Her specialty teaching and research areas include qualitative and participatory research methods in health, especially in relation to rigor and critical social analysis. Care, place, and aging are also themes of her work.