# Participant and researcher understandings of research responsibilities in malawi: a comparative analysis

## TL;DR

This study explores how research participants and staff in Malawi understand participants' roles in research and highlights the need for better communication.

## Contribution

The study introduces a comparative analysis of participant and researcher perceptions of research responsibilities in Malawi.

## Key findings

- Participants and research staff have differing understandings of research responsibilities.
- Two main themes emerged: relational and functional responsibilities of participants.

## Abstract

Current literature seldom discusses the functions and duties of individuals participating in medical research and the importance they attribute to their research involvement. To fill this void, our study investigated participants’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in the research context and compared these perceptions with those of research staff.

A cross-section qualitative study with 21 semi-structured interviews with participants purposefully selected from clinical and non-clinical trials, and research staff. We also conducted two focus group discussions: one with participants from clinical trials and one from non-clinical trials. We analysed data using thematic analysis methods.

The responsibilities of research participants are understood differently between research participants and research staff. Two broad themes emerged from the findings: relational responsibilities of research participants and functional responsibilities of participants.

There are differences in perceived responsibilities between researchers and participants, and this disconnect needs to be recognised. Researchers should focus on how best to communicate responsibilities to enhance awareness and achieve mutual understanding.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12910-025-01306-1.