When a gatekeeper denies a researcher access
Circumstances of gate closure in social work research
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21787664 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Barbora Gřundělová (0000-0002-7565-8339, University of Ostrava, corresponding author), Zuzana Broskevičová (0009-0006-1780-7945, University of Ostrava), Iveta Kowolová (0009-0001-1449-0501, University of Ostrava) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 623-643 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Research Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1747-0161 • E-ISSN: 2047-6094 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/17470161241273813 |
| OpenAlex | W4401926101 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 48 |
Social work research often requires the exploration of sensitive topics that concern hard-to-reach populations. In order to gain access to these groups, researchers are often forced to rely on gatekeepers during the research process. Gatekeepers become intermediaries who help the researchers to establish this access. In this article, we focus on institutional gatekeepers and the circumstances under which they deny access to research participants. And how the researchers themselves react to this situation in the context of Czech social work research. We used qualitative research, in particular semi-structured interviews with researchers. Based on the research, we identified three main practices of researchers when gatekeepers refuse access. These are conducting research despite denial, making changes to methodology and conducting covert research. The identified procedures bring with them a number of ethical questions that need to be addressed
Engineering ethics · Political science · Sociology · Data Analysis and Archiving · Engineering · Law · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
Handbook of qualitative research
Human Rights and Social Work
Ethics and Values in Social Work
A pluralist view of generalization in qualitative research
Accounting for research fatigue in research ethics
The Ethics of Gatekeeping
Covert Research
Qualitative Researching
Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods
Relational Responsibility
Sampling ‘Hard to Reach’ Populations in Qualitative Research
The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research
Narrating spaces of inclusion and exclusion in research collaboration – researcher-gatekeeper dialogue
Ethical considerations in social work research
Troubling gatekeepers
Gatekeeping and drinking cultures
Preparing Current and Future Practitioners to Integrate Research in Real Practice Settings
Researching Critical Reflection
It Puts Them in the Role of Zoo Animals”
Informed consent, gatekeepers and go‐betweens
Negotiating Access to Hard-to-Reach Populations through Institutional Gatekeepers in Social Work Research
Gaining Access to Data Sources in Statutory Social Work Agencies
Research note. Gaining access to looked after children for research purposes
The social construction of reality
Situational ethics in a feminist ethnography on commercial surrogacy in Russia
Accessing Socially Excluded People - Trust and the Gatekeeper in the Researcher-Participant Relationship
Gatekeepers and the Social Control of Social Research
The Use of a Constructivist Grounded Theory Method - A Good Fit for Social Work Research
A Delicate Balancing Act
The Development of Constructivist Grounded Theory
The Analytic Challenge in Interpretive Description
How Many Interviews Are Enough
We're Over-Researched Here
Methodological dilemmas
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |