However, Small was the first anthropologist to use pseudonyms to protect her informants, while also raising the issue of secrecy and ethnographic ethics in the same book. Small noted that she consulted the American Anthropological Association's Code of Ethics before developing her study, one critic noted that her "covert ethnography" was in direct opposition to the professional code that calls for openness with participants.
Small was an anthropologist who used pseudonyms to protect informants and discuss ethical issues in a single work. One critic noted that her "hidden ethnography" contradicted the professional code demanding openness with participants, while Small referenced the American Anthropological Association's Code of Ethics before conducting her study.