Ethical Research Guidelines
The Centre for Internet and Society will endeavour to protect the physical, social and psychological well-being of those who participate in their research. The guidelines below state the necessary steps to follow while doing research.
The ethical research guideline requires CIS staff and consultants to consider and take the following steps while engaging in research.
- Providing notice to the individual of the: Aims, methods, his/her right to abstain from participation in the research and his/her right to terminate at any time his/her participation; the confidential nature of his/her replies and any limits on such confidentiality.
- Providing informants and other participants the right to remain anonymous.
- Taking informed consent from the individual that he/she agrees to participate. If children are involved in the research, informed consent will be taken from the parents. Informed consent will entail communicating :
- Purpose(s) of the study, and the anticipated consequences of the research;
- Identity of funders and sponsors
- Anticipated uses of the data
- The degree of anonymity and confidentiality which may be afforded to informants and subjects.
- 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.
- Ensuring that the identity and identifying information of the participant (if not already in the public domain) is destroyed at the end of project, unless the individual has consented to otherwise.
- At public events organized by CIS, it will be announced and publicly posted that the event is being recorded. Individuals will be given the choice object to being recorded or their name and organization shared in conference reports, blogs, articles etc. If the individual does not object, it will be considered that they have given their consent.
- The Centre for Internet and Society strictly follows a policy of No Plagiarism.
