Ethical Research Policy

Research participation is work

Taking part in research takes time and effort. Every participant deserves fair compensation, whether they're joining as an individual, a parent, a carer or part of a family. We don't ask people to give their time for free.

Informed consent is non-negotiable

Before any session begins, participants need to understand what the research is for, what will happen and what's expected of them. We write our consent materials to be as plain and clear as possible, with accessibility in mind.

Participation must always be voluntary

Anyone taking part can withdraw at any point once a session has started, without losing their compensation. Our researchers are trained to read the room and will sensitively pause or end a session that doesn't feel right.

We take care of people after the session

Research can surface difficult emotions, particularly on sensitive topics like health, finances or personal loss. Participants will be signposted to information and relevant support if the researcher deems this beneficial after the session. In rare cases where a researcher has serious concerns about a participant's immediate wellbeing, we will escalate to the commissioning organisation, who are best placed to intervene appropriately.

We only do research that needs to be done

We don't recruit participants to hit a number or fill a schedule. If we've reached saturation, or if the findings are unlikely to be acted on, we stop. Research that goes nowhere isn't worth asking people to take part in or charging clients to do.

How we handle data

We store all participant data securely on an encrypted, access-controlled platform. Raw data and personal information are only ever shared with the organisation we are conducting the research for, and only with the participant’s explicit permission. All recordings, videos and any other material containing personal data are deleted at the end of the project or within two years, whichever comes first.

Recording and observation

Participants are always told if a session will be recorded and asked for their consent before recording begins. Recordings are stored and deleted in line with the data policy above. Participants can request that their recording be deleted at any time and can withdraw from the research entirely at any point without consequence.

Anonymity in research outputs

We calibrate the level of anonymisation in our outputs to the sensitivity of the research and who the audience is. First names may be included in reports shared internally with clients, as this helps connect insights to the people behind them where clients have been present in sessions or have access to recordings. Where the topic is sensitive in nature, participants are given pseudonyms even in client-facing reports. Anything shared or published beyond the client team uses no personally identifiable information. We ask clients to uphold the same standard for anything they share beyond their own organisation.

Responsible use of AI

We use AI tools to support analysis and synthesis within our research practice. Human researchers are always responsible for the final interpretation and findings. We do not use AI to replace researcher judgement. We never input personally identifiable information into large language models or other AI tools.

Reaching excluded communities

Some of the most important research involves people who are hardest to reach: those living with serious illness, people experiencing poverty or communities with low digital access. Reaching these groups ethically takes more time and a different approach. We use snowball recruitment through trusted community gatekeepers, offer participation methods beyond video call and work with specialist recruiters where needed.