Reconsidering the value of covert research: the role of ambiguous consent in participant observation

Roulet, Thomas; Gill, Michael; Stenger, Sebastien; Gill, David James

Abstract

In this article, we provide a nuanced perspective on the benefits and costs of covert research. In particular, we illustrate the value of such an approach by focusing on covert participant observation. We posit that all observational studies sit along a continuum of consent, with few research projects being either fully overt or fully covert due to practical constraints and the ambiguous nature of consent itself. With reference to illustrative examples, we demonstrate that the study of deviant behaviors, secretive organizations and socially important topics is often only possible through substantially covert participant observation. To support further consideration of this method, we discuss different ethical perspectives and explore techniques to address the practical challenges of covert participant observation, including; gaining access, collecting data surreptitiously, reducing harm to participants, leaving the site of study and addressing ethical issues.

Citation

Roulet, T., Gill, M., Stenger, S., & Gill, D. J. (2017). Reconsidering the value of covert research: the role of ambiguous consent in participant observation. Organizational Research Methods, 20(3), 487-517. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428117698745

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 16, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Mar 23, 2017
• Publication Date: Jul 31, 2017
• Deposit Date: Mar 7, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 23, 2017
• Journal: Organizational Research Methods
• Print ISSN: 1094-4281
• Electronic ISSN: 1552-7425
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 487-517
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428117698745
• Keywords: Covert research, Covert participant observation, Field observation, Ethics in research, Qualitative research
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/875203
• Publisher URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1094428117698745
• Related Public URLs: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/orm
• Additional Information: © 2017 by SAGE Publications
• Contract Date: Mar 7, 2017