A researcher studying therapeutic practices must ensure what related to their subjects?

Ensuring the confidentiality of subjects' identities is crucial in research, particularly in therapeutic practices where sensitive personal information is often shared. Researchers have an ethical obligation to protect their subjects' privacy and maintain the confidentiality of any data collected. This entails taking necessary precautions to prevent the identification of subjects through the use of coding, secure data storage, and limited access to identifiable information.

Confidentiality not only builds trust between participants and researchers but also encourages transparency and candidness from participants, which is essential in obtaining genuine and accurate data. Furthermore, safeguarding subjects' identities aligns with ethical research guidelines and regulatory standards, such as those enforced by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), ensuring that the rights and welfare of individuals involved in the research are prioritized.

While elements like ethical compensation for participants are also important in ensuring fairness and equity in research, they do not directly address the need for protecting individual identities, which is a foundational component of ethical research practice.