Definitions of Confidentiality
- (noun) A research protocol in which only a researcher can identify a respondent but protects their identity.
- (noun) The quality of being confidential or held in secrecy.
Example of Confidentiality
- Anonymizing data collected from face-to-face interviews.
Confidentiality Pronunciation
Syllabification: con·fi·den·ti·al·i·ty
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /kahn-fuh-den-shee-Al-uh-tee/
- British English – /kon-fid-en-shee-Al-it-ee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˌkɑnfəˌdɛnʃiˈæləti/
- British English – /kɒnfɪdɛnʃɪˈalɪti/
Usage Notes
- Plural: confidentialities
- Confidentiality is not the same as anonymity. When no one including the researcher can identify a research participant, the participant is protected by anonymity, not confidentiality.
- A researcher (adverb) confidentially assures a participant’s identity will remain (adjective) confidential and that the participants have (noun) confidentialness.
Additional Information
- Qualitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Quantitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “confidentiality” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
- code of ethics
- cohort
- informed consent
- interview
- qualitative research
- quantitative research
- reliability
- research
- statistical analysis
- study
- theory
Works Consulted
Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. 6th ed. 2003. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins.
Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.
Jary, David, and Julia Jary. 2000. Collins Dictionary of Sociology. 3rd ed. Glasgow, Scotland: HarperCollins.
Kornblum, William. 2008. Sociology in a Changing World. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Princeton University. 2010. WordNet. (https://wordnet.princeton.edu/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Confidentiality
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “confidentiality.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 29, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/confidentiality/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
confidentiality. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/confidentiality/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “confidentiality.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 29, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/confidentiality/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“confidentiality.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 29 Sep. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/confidentiality/>.