Your Votes are In: Our Approved Ethical Guidelines

A huge thank you to everyone in the community who weighed in during a months-long public review process of the World Pulse community’s Ethical Guidelines for Research and Evaluation.

We are pleased to share that the votes are in ...

... and the guidelines have passed with 98% of the vote!

World Pulse is committed to ensuring that the way we conduct evaluation and research reflects the interests and values of our community members. The guidelines define the key qualities and principles that should direct any research or data collection in the World Pulse community. The principles outlined are:

• Voice
• Transparency
• Safety
• Inclusion
• Care
• Change

Read the full guidelines and their definitions here.

So, why are Ethical Guidelines for Research and Evaluation important at World Pulse?

As part of our work, we collect data about the World Pulse community for monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL). You can see the results of the data we gather in reports like our annual Impact Review and in our annual planning feedback cycles. We also use data to report about the World Pulse community’s impact to foundations and individuals who support our work.

In addition, World Pulse occasionally runs campaigns to crowdsource the wisdom and knowledge of the community to inform the international development sector on women’s views and opinions on issues like Peace and Security; Technology; and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sometimes, external researchers contact World Pulse about doing research involving our community.

Earlier this year, we embarked on a process to create ethical guidelines for these efforts, in collaboration with community members. In addition to reviewing and approving the guidelines, a group of community members shared recommendations and formed a new Research Evaluation Group (REG). The World Pulse REG will be a community-led body that holds World Pulse and/or external researchers accountable for conducting ethical and meaningful research with the World Pulse community in line with the guidelines.

The World Pulse Research and Evaluation Group will:

• Review research proposals that involve World Pulse member participation and provide approval and/or input
• Request and/or receive updates and reports regarding research conducted with members of the World Pulse community
• Participate in, collaborate on, and/or lead research relevant to World Pulse community interests

If you are interested in learning more about this body or applying to join, reach out to research@worldpulse.org.

You can read more about the process we conducted to get to this point here.

And stay tuned for an update about additional community feedback we received during our Annual Community Feedback Survey. Your input is already shaping plans for future World Pulse offerings!