How we are held to account
Two commitments sit above any single project: no research with people proceeds without ethics clearance, and nothing we publish is behind a paywall.
A standing committee, not a one-off sign-off
The Ethics Review Committee clears all human-participant research carried out by ASCEND, before fieldwork starts and again if the design changes. It can approve, require changes, or decline a study.
Participants are told what the study is for, how their words will be used and how to withdraw. Data is de-identified before it reaches the archive.
- Interviews and focus groups
- Observation and case-file study
- Surveys and secondary use of personal data
Composition by role
Independent chair
Not employed by ASCEND and not part of any project under review.
Legal scholar
Reads proposals for legal risk to participants.
Social scientist
Judges method, consent and data handling.
Community member
Speaks for the people the research is about.
What happens to a proposal
1
Submit
The team files the proposal and consent materials.
2
Review
Members read and meet.
3
Decide
Approve, revise or decline, with reasons recorded.
4
Monitor
Changes and incidents come back to the committee.
5
Close
Data is de-identified and archived.
Policies you can read in full
Questions about our research or our conduct
Write to the committee or to the institute. Concerns about a study go to the committee chair.