Imagine participating in a survey, only to later realize that your responses were used in ways you never agreed to. In the rush to collect data, ethical considerations are often overlooked—but they shouldn’t be.
A key part of all research and evaluation work is data collection. While we spend a lot of time thinking about methodologies and sampling, we often treat the ethics of our data collection like it is an after-thought. However, it should be a priority, starting in the planning phase of a project, especially in development and humanitarian spaces. The ethics of data collection is a vast field in and of itself, but this blog offers some suggested practices:
Don’t take informed consent lightly.
Informed consent is the cornerstone of ethical data collection. When creating informed consent forms, ensure that they are simplified and not overwhelming. This ensures that the respondent fully understands what is expected of them and gives truly informed consent. An INTEGRATED team member shared that in contexts where respondents might distrust data collectors, complicated informed consents can further fuel nervousness. Relatedly, ensure compliance with child safeguarding rules when collecting data from minors. This usually entails seeking parental consent for data collection.
Only ask for information that you need, not information that you “would like to know.”
In other words, collect the minimum information needed to answer a question. When designing data collection tools, it can be tempting to ask for information that “might be useful at some point in the future” or “would be interesting to know.” Burdening the respondents with a longer survey and having to share more data than necessary is not ethical. Go through each of your survey questions and ask yourself the following two questions:
- What information is this question giving me that the other questions are not?
- How does this information contribute to answering my research questions?
If you find that you already have a question that provides this information or that the data you would collect from this question are not directly relevant to your research questions, you should get rid of it.
Relatedly, be very careful when asking for sensitive data.
The work we do sometimes requires us to ask about information that could be considered to be sensitive. Therefore, enumerators and data collectors should be trained on how to appropriately support the respondent if sensitive data questions lead to feeling overwhelmed or upset. In some cases, the respondents run the risk of re-traumatization. The data collectors should be appreciative of the respondents’ emotional labor when they are answering sensitive questions.
Furthermore, it is essential that data protection is prioritized.
Data should be stored securely. When possible, anonymize and de-identify data to protect respondents’ identities. Also, make sure the storage and transfer methods are secure. If the data are stored physically, ensure that the storage is locked and inaccessible to anyone who enters the office. If it travels with you, keep it on your person and not in a checked bag, for example. If it is on the cloud, choose a platform with appropriate security features, such as encryption and password protection. Set clear guidelines for who can access the data you collect: access should be minimized to just those who need it.
Prioritize the comfort of the respondents.
Think about how to make the data collection process as comfortable as possible for respondents. For example, if a respondent would prefer to speak to a data collector or enumerator of the same gender, ensure you respect those requests. When applicable you should consider hiring local enumerators who would understand the local culture best. Another INTEGRATED team member cautioned that, based on their experience, we should not ask for pictures in communities where respondents might not feel comfortable – especially if photography is unnecessary. People might consent to pictures out of politeness even if they are uncomfortable.
Similarly, be respectful of respondents’ time and effort.
The choice of time and place for data collection should be culturally appropriate and not require too much effort from the respondents. You should accommodate them rather than expecting them to accommodate you. Convey appreciation for them coming in and giving you time—this can be in the form of monetary compensation, refreshments, and/or transportation support, especially if respondents have traveled a significant distance. Offer fair compensation for their work.
Finally, consider power dynamics.
Think about how power dynamics might make the respondents feel, as this can influence the quality of your data. Consider your own positionality. For example, if you are collecting data on service quality on behalf of the organization providing that service, respondents may hesitate to give negative feedback out of concern that it could affect their future access to services.
These are just a few of the many ethical considerations in data collection. Prioritizing ethics not only upholds the integrity of your work but also fosters trust, ensures participant safety, and ultimately results in more reliable and meaningful data.