Abstract
Our name is an essential part of our identity, and despite our ethical pledge for authenticity, we often start our qualitative inquiry by pseudonymizing our participants' names without their input, undermining their authenticity and power. This methodological paper seeks to investigate the understudied participant naming process in qualitative research, highlighting authenticity and anonymity concerns. We draw on research practice-based experiences to narrow the gap between theory and research practice by asking, "How do qualitative researchers ensure participants' anonymity and authenticity? What names do participants prefer, if offered the choice?" We draw on the social exchange theory and critical reflection to explore research experiences shared by 14 participants from a study on acculturation triangulated with the research practices shared by seven qualitative researchers. This methodological article is one of the few that contributes to the ethical debate between participants' anonymity, authenticity and power and thus addresses the gap between the theory and practice of qualitative research.