Imposter Participants in Online Qualitative Interviews: A Protocol for Trauma-Informed and Equitable Decision-Making

Imposter participants are an emerging concern in qualitative research due to the recent increase in online recruitment and virtual interviews. Unfortunately, there is limited guidance on how to address imposter participants in an equitable, trauma-informed way. To bridge this gap, we share imposter participant red flags, challenges, and a protocol that provides questions to ask and possible activities to engage in throughout the research process from conceptualization through findings dissemination. We ground this guidance in examples from our recent study with LGBTQ+ (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence.