What principle requires researchers to protect the identity and data of study participants?

The principle that requires researchers to protect the identity and data of study participants is confidentiality. This principle ensures that any information gathered during research cannot be traced back to individual participants, thereby safeguarding their personal and sensitive information. Researchers are obligated to handle participant data with strict secrecy and to avoid any unauthorized access or disclosure.

Confidentiality is crucial in building trust between researchers and participants, encouraging individuals to provide honest and open responses without fear of exposure or negative consequences. This ethical consideration is essential in every stage of research, from data collection through analysis, and even in reporting findings.

While informed consent pertains to ensuring that participants are adequately informed about the study and agree to partake in it, and debriefing involves informing participants about the study's purpose and results after their participation, it is confidentiality that specifically addresses how their information is managed and protected. Privacy assurance could relate to the ethical management of data but is not a formally recognized principle within research ethics like confidentiality is.