What is the difference between “debriefing” and participant follow-up”?
Both terms refer to information that is provided to participants at the conclusion of their involvement in the research project. The term “debriefing” is used in studies involving deception to refer to the process by which the participants are presented with information that had initially been withheld from them regarding the true nature of the research. Participant “follow-up” is used in studies that do not involve deception but it is felt that it is appropriate to provide the participants with some additional information relevant to their needs. This information is typically conveyed to the participants at the conclusion of their participation.
