Secrecy and Fieldwork (Qualitative Research Methods)

What should the researcher tell, or not tell the informant? Is fieldwork inherently an activity that requires covert behavior by the researcher and subject alike? Are honesty and openness at odds with effectiveness in the field? In examining these questions, the author raises the ethical and practical issues of revelation and concealment in the field and attempts to arrive at a more useful set of norms for fieldwork behavior.