Ethics guidance

Why do we need ethical principles and guidelines for community research?

Community-led research has the power to bring about real change, but it also carries responsibility. That’s why we need to think carefully about how research is done, and how it affects the people involved. 

Ethical guidelines help make sure community-led research is respectful, inclusive, and fair at every stage, from planning a project to sharing the findings. 

The following guides introduce ethical principles and guidelines for community-led research.

If you’re planning and running research funded by the Rural Durham Community Research Network, please refer to the following guides: 

Download the full ethics guide V2 (Word doc, 1mb) 

This comprehensive guide helps you plan and carry out ethical community-led research to help ensure your research is:

  • Fair in how it is planned and carried out

  • Respectful of those who take part

  • Responsible in its use of information and findings

  • Useful to the communities involved

The guide includes:

  • A broad summary of ethical principles relevant to all research

  • A set of ethical principles specific to community-led research

  • Practical guidance to support ethical thinking at each stage of a research project