Overt Participant Observation Introduction
Overt Participant Observation, as the name suggests, involves the researcher being open with the group they are going to study. In other words, before joining a group the researcherFinding your way in is not always this easy... is likely to inform the group's members (either personally or through the agency of a sponsor) about such things as the purpose of the research, it's scope, how long the research will last and so forth.

In this respect, therefore, the research is done with the permission and co-operation of the group and the fact of being open with the group being researched carries with it certain advantages and disadvantages as far as the overall conduct of the research is concerned.