Commissioned Research Quality, Ethics and Safeguarding
Quality, Ethics and Safeguarding in Commissioned Projects
Commissioned research and evaluation projects through this hub are expected to be rigorous, ethical and safe for all involved. This page sets out the core principles and minimum expectations in these areas. It applies to projects across academic, policy and development contexts. Specific projects may add further details depending on their scope, funder requirements or institutional arrangements.
Quality and Methodological Rigour
All commissioned projects should be designed and conducted to a standard that is credible for academic, policy and practice audiences.
Key expectations:
- Appropriate design for the questions
Projects should use methods and approaches that fit the questions being asked, the available data and the intended use of the outputs. This may include rapid reviews, case studies, evaluations, data syntheses, mixed‑method designs or other approaches. - Clear documentation
Key decisions about design, sampling, data sources, analysis and limitations should be documented in the project thread and/or in the final outputs. This supports transparency and allows others to understand how conclusions were reached. - Honest treatment of evidence
Outputs should present evidence fairly, acknowledge uncertainty and avoid over‑claiming. Where evidence is limited, contradictory or context‑specific, this should be clearly stated. - Relevance to intended users
Quality is not only about technical rigour, but also about usefulness. Projects should be designed so that outputs are accessible and actionable for their intended audiences (policymakers, practitioners, researchers, trainers, etc.). - Internal or peer review
Draft outputs should be reviewed for clarity, accuracy and coherence before finalisation. Depending on the project, this may involve internal review within the team, peer review from experts, or feedback from intended users.
Ethical Principles
All projects involving people, data or sensitive information should adhere to basic ethical principles. These align with common standards in academia, public policy and development practice.
Key principles:
- Respect for persons and communities
Projects should respect the dignity, rights and perspectives of all participants, including policymakers, practitioners, beneficiaries and communities. Language and framing should be respectful and non‑stigmatising. - Informed consent
Where projects involve direct interaction with individuals (e.g. interviews, focus groups, surveys), participants should be informed about:- The purpose of the activity
- How their input will be used
- Any risks or burdens involved
- Their right to decline or withdraw without penalty
Consent should be obtained in a way that is appropriate to the context (written, verbal, digital, etc.).
- Confidentiality and data protection
Personal or sensitive information should be handled with care. This includes:- Storing data securely
- Limiting access to those who need it
- Anonymising or aggregating data where appropriate
- Following applicable data protection laws and institutional policies
Where commissioners or partners have specific confidentiality requirements, these should be agreed in advance and documented.
- Minimising harm and risk
Projects should consider potential risks to participants, communities and staff, including:- Psychological or emotional distress
- Social or reputational risks
- Political or security risks in sensitive contexts
Designs should aim to minimise these risks and have plans in place to respond if issues arise.
- Integrity and conflict of interest
All participants should act with honesty and integrity. Any significant conflicts of interest (e.g. financial, professional, personal) that could affect the design, analysis or interpretation should be disclosed and managed appropriately.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding refers to measures to protect people, especially those who may be vulnerable, from harm, abuse or exploitation in the course of the project.
Key expectations:
- Attention to vulnerability and power dynamics
Projects should be sensitive to power imbalances (e.g. between researchers and participants, officials and communities, donors and beneficiaries). Extra care is needed when working with:- Children and young people
- People with disabilities
- Marginalised or excluded groups
- People in crisis or conflict‑affected settings
- Safe and appropriate engagement
Interactions with participants should be:- Conducted in safe and accessible settings
- Scheduled at times that are reasonable and convenient for participants
- Respectful of cultural norms and local protocols
Where needed, projects should have clear procedures for responding to disclosures of harm, abuse or serious rights violations.
- Staff and partner awareness
Project leads and key partners should be aware of basic safeguarding principles and know how to escalate concerns. In some cases, projects may require specific safeguarding training or adherence to institutional safeguarding policies. - Referral pathways
Where projects touch on sensitive issues (e.g. violence, abuse, severe deprivation), there should be, where possible, awareness of existing referral pathways (e.g. social services, protection agencies, hotlines) and a plan for how to respond if someone discloses a serious issue.
Ethics Review and Approval
Depending on the nature of the project and the institutions involved, formal ethics review may be required.
- Institutional requirements
Universities, research centres or donors may require ethics approval from an institutional review board or ethics committee before data collection begins. - Hub expectations
Even where formal ethics review is not required, projects should:- Document key ethical considerations and how they were addressed
- Ensure that all team members understand and follow the agreed ethical and safeguarding principles
- Be prepared to explain their approach if questioned by partners or users of the outputs
- Documentation in the project thread
Project leads should note in the 02_Running Projects thread:- Whether formal ethics approval was required and obtained
- Key ethical and safeguarding measures taken (e.g. consent procedures, data protection steps, risk mitigation)
Handling Sensitive or Restricted Information
Some projects may involve sensitive or restricted information, such as:
- Internal policy documents or data
- Confidential programme data
- Information that could affect individuals’ safety or rights if disclosed
Key expectations:
- Clear agreements up front
Commissioners and project teams should agree early on:- What information is confidential
- Who can access it
- How it will be stored and shared
- What can be published or shared publicly
- Secure handling
Sensitive data should be stored securely, with access limited to authorised team members. Transfer of sensitive files should use secure methods. - Appropriate dissemination
Where outputs must be restricted (e.g. internal reports only), this should be clearly stated. Where possible, at least a summary or learning brief should be made available for wider use, unless there are strong reasons not to.
Responsibilities Across Roles
- Commissioners / partners
- Disclose any known ethical, safeguarding or political risks in the context.
- Clarify confidentiality requirements and data protection expectations.
- Support ethical engagement with stakeholders (e.g. introductions, permissions, guidance on local norms).
- Project leads / principal investigators
- Ensure that the project design addresses key ethical and safeguarding issues.
- Obtain any required ethics approvals.
- Document ethical and safeguarding measures in the project thread and/or outputs.
- Ensure that all team members understand and follow agreed standards.
- Contributors and reviewers
- Respect confidentiality of drafts and data.
- Raise ethical or safeguarding concerns promptly if they arise during review or contribution.
- Group admins / coordinators
- Support project teams in identifying ethical and safeguarding issues.
- Ensure that the workflow allows space for ethical considerations to be documented and addressed.
- Escalate serious concerns to appropriate individuals or institutions when needed.
Limitations and Contextual Judgement
Not all projects will face the same level of risk or complexity. A rapid evidence review based on publicly available documents will have different ethical considerations from a field‑based evaluation involving interviews with vulnerable groups.
The expectation is not that every project has a formal ethics protocol of the same depth, but that:
- Risks and issues are considered proportionately to the nature of the work.
- Basic principles (respect, consent, confidentiality, minimising harm) are always upheld.
- Decisions and rationales are documented sufficiently to be transparent to partners and users of the outputs.
How this page fits with other guidance
This page should be read alongside:
- How commissioned research works – for the full project process.
- Roles and expectations in commissioned projects – for responsibilities of different actors.
- Data, licensing and reuse of outputs – for handling of data, openness and restrictions.
- Project Request Form – where commissioners can flag known ethical or safeguarding considerations at the request stage.
See also