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Academic English & Research vocabulary · Research Ethics and Integrity

Anonymity

Meaning in academic english & research, with examples

/ˌænəˈnɪməti/nounCore term

In academic english & research, anonymity means: The condition in which participants cannot be identified from the data or the published report, sometimes not even by the researcher.

In Turkish: anonimlik, kimlik gizliliği, adsızlık

How it is used

Ethics forms ask how anonymity will be protected. Anonymous surveys collect no names; in interviews, researchers use pseudonyms and remove identifying details. Anonymity differs from confidentiality, where the researcher knows who said what but does not reveal it.

Example sentences

  1. To protect anonymity, all participants were given pseudonyms.

  2. Anonymity was guaranteed: the survey stored no names or IP addresses.

Common collocations

  • protect anonymity
  • guarantee anonymity
  • anonymity and confidentiality
  • ensure participant anonymity
  • confidentialityThe duty to keep participants' personal information private and to store and report data so that people cannot be identified.
  • informed consentA participant's voluntary agreement to take part in research after being told about its purpose, procedures, risks and their right to withdraw.
  • ethics approvalOfficial permission from an ethics committee or review board confirming that a study involving people or animals meets ethical standards before it begins.
  • participantA person who takes part in a study, for example by answering a questionnaire, being interviewed or completing an experiment.

More terms: Research Ethics and Integrity

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