Our approach brings informed consent, safeguarding, confidentiality, participant welfare and responsible data handling into study design and field delivery from the outset.
The ethical requirements of a study depend on who is participating, what is being asked, the sensitivity of the topic, the operating context and the applicable client, institutional or national requirements.
During mobilisation, Research360 works with the client or lead research team to establish the study-specific requirements before fieldwork begins. This includes the consent process, privacy conditions, safeguarding responsibilities, referral or escalation arrangements, data-access rules and any formal approvals required for the assignment.
We do not assume that one protocol fits every study. Additional controls are applied where research involves children, adolescents, survivors of violence, displaced populations, people with disabilities or other participants who may face heightened risk.
These principles are translated into study-specific procedures, interviewer training and field supervision rather than treated as general statements.
Participants are told what the research involves, how information will be used and that participation is voluntary, using language and formats appropriate to the study population.
Interview settings, tool design and data handling are planned to reduce unnecessary disclosure of personal information and protect confidentiality.
Research procedures are reviewed for foreseeable participant and field-team risks, with adaptations made where questions, locations or recruitment approaches could increase harm.
Field teams receive study-relevant safeguarding instructions and clear escalation routes for concerns or incidents encountered during research activities.
Recruitment, language, accessibility and interviewer conduct are adapted to reduce exclusion and support respectful participation across different respondent groups.
Only data needed for the research purpose should be collected, with access, transfer, de-identification, retention and handover arrangements agreed for the study.
Ethical research is operational. It affects how the study is programmed, how teams are trained, how respondents are approached and how incidents and data are handled.
Sensitive research needs more than a standard consent script. The study design should account for the participant profile, topic, referral environment and consequences of disclosure.
Study-specific consent and assent procedures, age-appropriate explanations, privacy protections and safeguarding escalation are defined before fieldwork.
Our approach →Interviewer selection, privacy, question sequencing, distress management and referral arrangements are adapted to the sensitivity of the research.
Our approach →Recruitment and participation approaches are reviewed for coercion, gatekeeper influence, protection risk and accessibility in the local context.
Our approach →For higher-risk studies, safeguarding is translated into practical decisions about recruitment, interviewer profiles, consent, privacy, referrals, escalation and data handling.
We define age-appropriate consent and assent pathways before mobilisation, including who can provide permission, how voluntary participation is explained and how privacy is protected during interviews.
We adapt the field protocol to reduce distress, disclosure risk and unnecessary exposure, while ensuring interviewers understand what to do when a participant needs support or raises a safeguarding concern.
We review recruitment and participation for coercion, gatekeeper influence, accessibility and protection risks, recognising that legal status, mobility and dependency on services can affect how freely people participate.
Research360 does not describe every assignment as “ethically approved.” Where formal ethical review, institutional approval, research permits or other authorisations are required, fieldwork is planned within the applicable approval framework and client-agreed protocol.
Confirm the required approvals, consent/assent process, safeguarding roles, referral routes, privacy conditions, data responsibilities and field-team conduct requirements.
Supervisors reinforce protocol compliance, monitor deviations, support interviewers and escalate issues through the agreed project channels while corrective action is still possible.
Data and documentation are handed over according to agreed access and security arrangements, with protocol deviations or incidents documented where required.
Training connects the protocol to the situations interviewers and supervisors are likely to face in the field.
Depending on the assignment, training can cover informed consent, child safeguarding, confidentiality, respondent distress, mandatory reporting boundaries, referral information, privacy during interviews, handling sensitive disclosures, secure device use and incident escalation.
Interviewers are expected to follow the study protocol and field code of conduct. Supervisors are responsible for reinforcing those requirements and documenting issues that could affect participant welfare or research integrity.
Personally identifiable information, contact details, recordings and sensitive variables require explicit purpose and controlled access. The specific security, transfer, retention and deletion arrangements should be agreed with the client or lead research team before collection begins.
Read our privacy approach →Research360 applies the data-protection, confidentiality and ethical requirements agreed for each assignment. Study data is stored and transferred through appropriately secured systems, with access limited to authorised project personnel. Identifiable information is minimised and handled according to the study protocol and agreed retention requirements.
Client data, findings and project materials are not shared, published or reused without appropriate authorisation. At project close, agreed databases, tools, code, transcripts, analyses, documentation and reports are handed over in the required editable and final formats. Ownership, retention and permitted use are confirmed during mobilisation and reflected in the project protocol or contractual arrangements.
Share the TOR, respondent profile, geography and any client or institutional protocols already in place. We can incorporate the relevant field controls into the delivery plan.