What defines a situation that does not violate participants' privacy or confidentiality?

The correct choice highlights the significance of protecting participants' privacy by reporting results in aggregate form without identifiers. When data is aggregated, individual responses cannot be traced back to specific participants, which eliminates the risk of revealing private information. This practice upholds confidentiality, as it ensures that the identities of individuals are not exposed, maintaining their privacy during and after the research process.

While informed consent is crucial for ethical research practices, it does not, in itself, guarantee that privacy or confidentiality will not be violated if the results are reported with identifiable data. Ensuring participants are aware of potential risks is also important, but it focuses more on the informed consent process rather than directly protecting privacy. Providing direct access to study findings to participants could potentially compromise confidentiality if the results include identifiable information. Therefore, the practice of reporting results in aggregate form strongly emphasizes the importance of confidentiality and privacy in research settings.