The Authenticity of Gatekeepers as Means of Data Collection in Research

Gatekeepers are middlemen that manage access to communities or groups that academics are interested in investigating. They can be found in a range of places, including hospitals, schools, community organizations, and places of worship. Researchers must be aware of the potential difficulties associated with using gatekeepers and take precautions to ensure the authenticity and reliability of the data collected, even though gatekeepers can be useful in facilitating access to populations that may be difficult to reach, such as marginalized or vulnerable groups. This paper tends to assess the extent to which gatekeepers influence the authenticity of data collected in research studies. The main objectives are: i.to examine literature review on the role of gatekeepers in research and their impact on data collection. ii. To identity and analyze different types of biases and limitations that may arise when gatekeepers serve as data collectors. The report examines the experiences of researchers who have utilized gatekeepers and identifies recommended practices for guaranteeing the validity and reliability of data obtained through gatekeepers using secondary sources of data collection from current literature reviews. However, in order to ensure that the data gathered is accurate, dependable, and representative of the population being studied, researchers must also be aware of the potential drawbacks of using gatekeepers. The recommendations made in this paper’s conclusion are intended to guide future study on the use of gatekeepers in data collecting. These recommendations include the need for further studies that focus on the experiences of gatekeepers themselves and the likelihood that they would have biases or conflicts of interest.