What’s in a name? Participants’ pseudonym choices as a practice of empowerment and epistemic justice

In qualitative research, using pseudonyms for participants is a common practice. This paper examines how inviting participants to choose their pseudonyms contributes to epistemic justice in the research process. We highlight the transformative potential of participant agency in the research journey by exploring data derived from a large qualitative study of 40 participants from diverse cultural identities who shared their experiences of their doctoral journeys at Western universities (predominantly in Australia). Participants were invited to choose pseudonyms for themselves and their institutions. Employing a narrative inquiry research methodology, data were analysed via a three-stage iterative process, focusing on participants’ pseudonym selection and the contextual explanations provided for their choices. Our findings reveal that when participants choose their pseudonyms, they are able to present their narratives with greater authenticity, capturing the richness of their lived experiences and cultural contexts, thereby advancing epistemic justice. This practice not only created a space of empowerment for participants but also fostered trust and collaboration between researchers and participants. Thus, we argue that recognising and inviting the agency of participants in terms of naming can be considered a critical method, shifting traditional power dynamics in research by recognising participants as experts on their own experiences.This record includes a pre-print of a paper that is published in the International Journal of Research & Method in Education. The final version of record of this paper can be accessed on the journal’s website.