Which principle protects the privacy of participants in research?

• A. Researchers must double-check results
• B. Subjects' privacy should be protected
• C. Budgets must be disclosed
• D. Participants must be remunerated

Answer: (D)

Protecting participants' privacy is essential in research ethics. This means keeping personal information confidential and controlling who can see or use it. In practice, researchers anonymize or code data, limit access to identifiable details, store information securely, and report findings in a way that individuals cannot be identified. This protection helps maintain trust, reduce risk to participants, and uphold their rights.

The other ideas relate to different concerns: ensuring results are accurate and trustworthy addresses scientific integrity; disclosing budgets speaks to transparency and potential conflicts of interest; remunerating participants concerns fair treatment and avoiding undue influence. But when it comes to privacy, the guiding principle is that subjects' privacy should be protected.