Background: The issue of "imposter" participants within qualitative research has become increasingly prevalent. The problem raises specific concerns for qualitive research around research inclusivity and diversity, alongside the challenge to data integrity and methodological rigour. Existing literature is dominated by case studies and commentaries. There is a lack of evidence-based guidance for researchers or research organisations with prior recommendations based on subjective experience or localised perspectives.


Purpose: This aim is to provide robust and adaptive multi-disciplinary guidelines that reflect the specific challenges and context of qualitative research.


Method: This study adopted a two-stage expert and evidence-based approach to develop guidance for researchers and organisations. Stage 1 was a mixed-method study with 184 qualitative researchers to establish the reach and impact of the problem, perspectives on the associated issues, and potential solutions across disciplines, career stage and locality. Stage 2 involved a series of expert and public workshops to develop and refine guidelines through an iterative analytical process.


Results: The resulting guidance for researchers and organisations is a flexible, supportive tool to enable a systematic and evidence-informed approach within research practice. The guidance provides a framework for considering ethical, epistemological, methodological and practical considerations when determining how to mitigate the risk of imposter participants within qualitative research.


Conclusions: The guidance provides a means to maintain high quality research practice, data integrity, and ensure the ongoing contribution of applied qualitative research whilst not restricting the ability to engage in research that is diverse and inclusive. The aim is for the guidance to be adopted across disciplines and research contexts with a goal for the guidance to evolve to reflect the needs of researchers and the changing research landscape. The guidelines will inform wider understanding of the issue of imposter participants in qualitative research and encourage the adoption of evidence-based policies and processes.