Researcher impression management: mapping the dramaturgical practices of qualitative researchers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the practices researchers use to manage the impressions that participants form about them and their research projects, which we refer to as researcher impression management (RIM). We identify the different forms and functions of RIM and outline their implications for research methodology and the substantive research outcomes of qualitative research. Design/methodology/approach We review published qualitative research to identify the RIM practices that researchers have reported using in their studies. Findings We develop an analytical framework which identifies three types of dramaturgical practices that researchers engage in when interacting with participants: self-portraying, self-censoring and misrepresenting. We also identify the desired and undesired impressions these practices are designed to construct or avoid and outline the methodological purposes and substantive research outcomes which hinge on the impressions that participants form. Practical implications Our paper has three practical implications. It encourages researchers to enhance reflexivity by writing more transparently about RIM. It has implications for debates about what kinds of research practices are considered ethically justifiable. It also has pedagogical implications and can be used to enhance the teaching and training of future generations of qualitative researchers. Originality/value It is well known that organizations and their members engage in impression management, but little is known about the impression management that researchers engage in when studying organizations and their members. In this paper, we make an original contribution by identifying the different forms, functions and implications of RIM.