Share the idea, not the identity. When you use an example from research with real people, remove names and any detail that could point to one person. For practice and public posts, invent your own example instead.
This is the third lesson in integrity and responsible assistance. Your school sets the rules for consent and data in your assessed work, so check them first.
Why does this matter?
People who answer a survey or interview agree to take part in your project. They did not agree to appear in forum posts, group chats or a tutor’s worked examples. Careless sharing can embarrass them or cause harm.
Protecting participants is also a mark of careful research, because it shows you thought about people as well as evidence.
How do I anonymise an example?
- Remove direct identifiers: names, photos, phone numbers, social media handles.
- Remove indirect identifiers: exact age plus class, a rare job, a named street or shop, a distinctive story.
- Generalise: “a Form 4 student” becomes “a secondary student”; “the clinic on Jalan X” becomes “a local clinic”.
- Check the combination: ask whether someone who knows the group could still guess who it is.
- Prefer invented examples when you only want to practise a skill.
Worked example (invented)
Here is a made-up interview note. The person and place are fictional.
Original note: “Aisyah, 15, Form 4 Cempaka at Greenfield Secondary, says her mother, who runs the only bakery on Jalan Bunga, makes her pay for her own bus fare.”
This note contains a name, age, class, school, a family business and a street. Together they would identify her.
Anonymised version: “A secondary student says she pays for her own bus fare to get to school.”
The version keeps what the research needs, the finding about transport costs, and drops the rest. If more context is needed, add only what the argument requires, such as “a student from a family business”.
A mistake to avoid
A common slip is deleting only the name.
Mistaken edit: “A 15-year-old in Form 4 Cempaka, whose mother runs the only bakery on Jalan Bunga, says she pays her own bus fare.”
The name is gone, but class and family business still point to one person.
The correction is to ask what a classmate would recognise, then remove those details. Remove first, then add back only what the argument needs.
Check yourself
All people and places are invented.
1. Which detail is the riskiest to leave in: “a student”, “a student who lives above the only pharmacy in a small village”, or “a student in Year 10”?
Show answer
The second. A rare location and building could identify one person even without a name.
2. Anonymise: “Mr Karim, the maths teacher at Hillview School, said the new bus route made him late twice.”
Show answer
“A teacher said a new bus route made them late twice.” Name, subject and school are removed.
3. You want to practise coding survey answers with a tutor. What is a safe approach?
Show answer
Use an invented set of answers written for practice, not your real participants’ responses. Ask your school before sharing any real data.
Where this leads next
Finish the module with preparing questions about tuition boundaries before a paid lesson. You can also revisit documenting assistance, since a log should not contain participant identities either.
Our teachers use invented examples in online one-to-one Global Perspectives tuition, so your own research data stays with you and your school.