SoP: Fieldwork at CIS

Best Practices for Taking Consent for Fieldwork at CIS India

This document will detail standard best practices that should be followed while conducting qualitative and quantitative fieldwork-based research at CIS. It does not deal with methodological aspects of the project, but rather procedural components.

The ethical research guidelines requires CIS staff and consultants to consider and take the following steps while engaging in field research, which includes interviews, surveys, focus groups, and any other methods involving human participants.

1. Providing notice to the participant(s) of the aims, methods, timelines, outputs, and expected outcomes of the study. This must take place prior to data collection.
   • They should also be made aware of their right to abstain from participation in the research and to terminate their participation at any time in the study.
   • It should be explicitly explained to them that their consent to participation, or their terms of participation are negotiable and revocable till the point of publication.
   • Participants’ requests for confidentiality, privacy and anonymity should be respected. Where applicable, the limits on such confidentiality should be clarified.
   • There should be an opt-in procedure for attribution in the publication, either of the individual or any organisational affiliation. The default option should always be anonymous attribution.
   • Prior to publication, the participant should be given the option to approve quotes attributed to them if they require.
   • Intellectual property rights for any content shared by participants during field research and the final outputs should be clarified, especially for third party content.
   • Format of publication of the final outputs (audio-visual, image, data, text, others), access and licensing should be specified.
2. Obtaining affirmative informed consent from the participant regarding their participation in the research. In case of research with minors, consent should be obtained from parents or guardians.
   • This consent can be obtained in written form using a consent form (Annexure A), or verbally through audio or video recordings. The name of the participant and the terms of the study should be mentioned explicitly .
   • In case of interviews with government or other bodies, an authorisation letter from their place of work can also substitute for a consent form.
3. Ensuring that when audio/visual-recorders and photographic records are being used, participants that are being recorded will be made aware of the use of the devices, and have the option to request that they not be used.
   • Participants should be made aware of the number of persons who will have access to the information they provide, including researchers, reviewers, and translators.
   • Participants should be made aware of the period for which their data will be stored, and if it will be anonymised and used for any future research.
   • Where data is shared with third parties for processing, such as translators/interpreters/transcriptionists, a confidentiality clause should be added to the contract/agreement to prevent further circulation and use of data, especially in the case of sensitive content. As far as possible, sensitive data should be processed by the researchers themselves.
   • Ensuring that collection and processing is in compliance with data protection regulations of the countries concerned, in cases of international collaborations
4. Ensuring that the identity and identifying information of the participant (if not already in the public domain) is destroyed at the end of the project, unless the individual has consented to otherwise.
5. Personally identifiable information, and sensitive information in particular, should only be obtained if necessary.
6. Specific ethical guidelines should be devised in case the research involves marginalised and vulnerable groups, including but not limited to intersections of race, religion, caste, class, gender and sexual identity, bodily or technical ability and language.
   • If deemed necessary by the supervisor, a research advisory board should be constituted to advise on the ethical guidelines and principles of research.
7. If consent has not properly been obtained or lost at a later stage, the data cannot be used and must be properly erased.
8. If the terms of the use of the data and quotes, which includes the project aims and outputs, change at a stage following data collection, then consent must be obtained again for those purposes
9. In obtaining consent, participants must be made aware of all protections afforded to them under applicable CIS policies, including under the CIS code of conduct and the CIS policy on prohibition of sexual harassment.

Annexure A

Sample consent form

CONSENT FORM

Name of Researchers: XXX

Name of Sponsor: XXX

Name of Project: XXX

Participant Statement

1. I confirm that the researcher(s) have provided me adequate information about the objectives, outputs and methodology for the above project and have had the opportunity to consider the information and ask questions and had these answered satisfactorily.
2. I understand that my participation in the study is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time without giving a reason.
3. I understand that the interviews will be audio-recorded or written notes will be taken, as per my preference.

Written notes
Audio recording

4. Please indicate your preference for being quoted in the study (tick appropriate box):

Anonymously
With attribution

I agree to take part in the above project.

Signature

Name of participant

Date