GSR Professional Guidance: Ethical Assurance
The Government Social Research Unit has developed guidance on the ethical assurance of government social research which covers all social research work conducted in and for government.
Why does GSR need guidance on ethics?
GSRU's guidance is necessary to:
- Clarify and standardise practices across those responsible for social research in government
- Clearly set out the ethical conduct of government social research for those who participate in government sponsored research
- Advise departments as they take on new or additional responsibilities in subject areas they have not previously covered.
What ethical issues do government social researchers face?
Government departments experience a wide range of ethical issues in the course of their day to day work. These include questions about:
- The implications of specific legislation on research activity
- Whether departmental administrative data or other records can be shared between government departments and contractors
- The ethical standards of contractors and their sub-contractors
- Research methodology
- The process of negotiating informed consent
- Issues regarding respondent reimbursement
- Researcher responsibilities in an interview setting.
Other related ethical work
GSRU consulted 23 key stakeholders in the development of the ethical guidance, including the Heads of Profession for social research in departments. They also took into consideration other related ethical guidance, including:
