New ESOMAR-GRBN joint guidelines issued on Online Research

By

-

May 13, 2016

In order to help researchers get the most out of the new ESOMAR GRBN Online Research Guideline, we will be running, together with ESOMAR, two webinars on specific issues within the guideline: 14th June: Webinar on incentives, sweepstakes and free prize draws 28th June: Webinar on sample source and management Reg Baker, co-chair of the working party, shares his thoughts on guideline and what it offers researchers…. In December of last year ESOMAR and GRBN released a Guideline for Online Research. This update of earlier guidance developed jointly by CASRO and ESOMAR and describes how to apply the fundamental ethical principles of market, opinion, and social research in the context of the current legal frameworks and regulatory environments around the world. Its objective is to support researchers, especially those in small and medium-sized research organisations, in addressing the legal, ethical, and practical considerations when using new technologies to conduct research online. The guideline describes researchers’ responsibilities to three broad audiences. The first is research participants. Here it underscores the importance of avoiding activities and practices that might discourage research participation by blurring the line between research and marketing/sales. It reaffirms the fundamental importance of honesty, consent, the voluntary nature of research, and the need for researchers to ensure that participants suffer no adverse consequences as a result of their participation. It also provides practical advice on email and text solicitation practices, the use of incentives, and passive data collection where there may be no direct interaction with those from whom data are collected. This last issue of passive data collection (e.g. web browsing data, loyalty cards, geo-location data from connected devices, social media data) has become especially important as researchers increasing look to these sources for insight. The guideline describes specific practices to employ when working with these kinds of data. When describing responsibilities to clients, the guideline underscores the critical need for both parties to rigorously protect personal data and the fundamental importance of researchers being fully transparent in all phases of the research, but especially in reporting. There also is a section on methodological quality specifying the information that should be routinely shared with clients to allow them to assess the reliability of findings. The final audience is the general public. Here it highlights the importance of always behaving in such a way that public confidence in research is not undermined. It provides guidance on the sometimes difficult task of working jointly with clients to ensure that any published results are not misleading and that any technical information needed to assess the validity of published findings is made available. There also is guidance on a variety of specific issues that researchers are likely to encounter when doing online research. They include best practices when doing research with children, the use of online identification and tracking technologies when working with panels, mobile research, social media research, the handling of new forms of personal data such as photographs and videos, cloud storage, anonymisation and pseudonymisation techniques, and uses of paradata. The guideline concludes with a list of unacceptable practices that if used would be considered spyware. Additional project teams are already at work on new global guidelines to help researchers navigate the increasingly complex legal and ethical environments in which we work. Look for new joint ESOMAR/GRBN guidelines on social media research and mobile research later this year.

Reg Baker Executive Director, Marketing Research Institute International and Consultant to ESOMAR Professional Standards Committee

ESOMAR and GRBN publish global guidance for organisations and professionals on fair use of data

By

GRBN_News

-

September 13, 2021

Monday 13th September 2021

ESOMAR and GRBN publish global guidance for organisations and professionals on fair use of data.

Guidance clarifies key responsibilities when collecting and using personal data

ESOMAR and the Global Research Business Network (GRBN) are pleased to announce today the release of two new complementary guidelines that further strengthen ethical standard framework to be used by their respective memberships; Primary Data Collection and Duty of Care.

These practical documents provide essential support to research, insight and data analytics practitioners and the organisations that work with them to best navigate important issues they encounter in their daily lives. The new guidance aims to better future proof ethical and professional practice at a time when the collection and use of data continues to accelerate, facilitated by new technologies. The guidance reinforces the importance of maintaining trust with participants and support practitioners to comply with existing and emerging legislation.

The Primary Data Collection guideline guides practitioners and organisations when they collect data directly from or about a data subject for the purpose of their data, research and insights projects. The Duty of Care guidance reminds practitioners and organisations of their responsibilities to the privacy and well-being of their data subjects and outlines the key expectations taking into account established ethical and legal requirements.

Finn Raben, Director General of ESOMAR said:
“It is high time to refresh our commitments and ensure our standards keep up with an ecosystem where data science is mainstreaming and leading to a dramatic increase in the volume of personal data, much of it behavioural, being collected. The recognition of the potential value to societies and economies is only possible when responsible and ethical use of personal data occurs. In this context, these two documents are vital to industry progress in recognising our clear duty of care to those whose personal data we use in our projects.”

Andrew Cannon, Executive Director at GRBN comments:
“Trust is a fundamental to the future of our industry; trust by the general public, by clients and by regulators. Researchers’ ethical behaviour, especially with regard to privacy and the use of personal data, is central to maintaining and building this trust, and these two guidelines provide researchers with the essential guidance they need.”

To access the new guidelines please see the links provided below.

Primary Data Collection describes the ethical responsibilities of researchers, regardless of the type of organisation in which they work, when engaged in primary data collection, that is, when collecting data from or about a data subject for the purpose of research. It includes quantitative and qualitative methods that involve direct questioning of data subjects, but also methods of passive data collection in which the researcher observes,
measures or records an individual’s actions or behaviour.

https://esomar.org/guidance/primary-data-collection
https://grbn.org/codes-guidelines/

Duty of Care aims to advise researchers and those who do research on behalf of clients about their responsibility to protect the privacy and well-being of data subjects who participate in research or whose data is processed for a research purpose. It is
also designed to provide guidance for those who commission research to ensure that they are fully aware of their responsibilities and to set expectations about what is and is not possible given established ethical and legal requirements.

https://esomar.org/guidance/duty-of-care
https://grbn.org/codes-guidelines/

There will be a panel session at the Insights festival to take place 21-22 September 2021 which discusses these guidelines and their usage. To book a place at this session register to attend at the ESOMAR Insights Festival 2021 at https://esomar.org/events

Further Contact

To discuss these materials and their application, please get in touch with the following contact points;

GRBN for the local application of these guidelines – Andrew.cannon@grbn.org

ESOMAR’s Professional Standards Committee – Srikar Govindaraju, Senior Standards Programmes Coordinator at professional.standards@esomar.org

For press queries – Kim Smouter, Head of Public Affairs & Standards at comms@esomar.org

About ESOMAR

Established in 1948, ESOMAR champions the insights sector. It is the global community for every data, research and insights professional. ESOMAR is a network of more 40.000+ professionals working in more than 800 organisations worldwide.

As a non-profit membership organisation, its role is to:
• promote the value of market, opinion and social research and data analytics,
• provide ethical and professional guidance and advocating for the community for over 70 years,
• and strengthen international business connections

About the Global Research Business Network

The Global Research Business Network (GRBN) connects over 40 research associations and over 3500 research businesses on six continents. More than US$24.9 billion in annual research revenues (turnover) are represented by these businesses.

GRBN’s mission is to promote and advance the business of research by developing and supporting strong autonomous national research associations.

Global guideline launched to highlight researchers’ responsibilities when conducting online research

By

GRBN_News

-

November 27, 2015

The market and social research sector has published updated guidance for researchers, providing advice in addressing legal, ethical, methodological and practical considerations in the use of existing and new technologies for online research, a growing global market worth nearly $10bn. Best practice guidance This updated Guideline for Online Research, published by ESOMAR (the World Association for Social, Opinion and Market Research) and GRBN (the Global Research Business Network) provides best practice based guidance to help ensure that researchers who execute research online remain sensitive to consumer concerns about privacy and avoid activities and technology practices that risk undermining public confidence in market research. Clarification of researcher’s responsibilities The rapid growth of online research has seen continual developments in technology and in the types and variety of digital data that can be collected. Researchers have always been called upon to ensure that participants are not harmed or adversely affected by participating in a research project. This Guideline clarifies researchers’ responsibilities when using new and possibly less obvious ways of collecting data.

Impact of new technologies

New technologies now make it possible to collect a broad range of personal data without direct interaction with the individuals whose data are collected. Examples of such personal data include web browsing data, loyalty card and store scanner data, geo-location data from mobile devices as well as social media data. The Guideline addresses the requirement for explicit consent in situations where researchers collect personal data from participants in research panels and mobile applications. This is particularly important for mobile apps utilising geo-location, passive listening, and/or metering. The Guideline also specifies requirements for researchers to protect the privacy and security of any personal data collected. The need for transparency Andrew Cannon, Executive Director of the Global Research Business Network, said: “The GRBN global survey into Trust and Personal Data informed us that, across the globe, the vast majority of people are concerned about the protection and appropriate use of their personal data, with many considering their digital data to be sensitive. In this environment, it is paramount that the research industry is transparent in its dealings with the general public and fosters a trust-based relationship: These guidelines provide invaluable guidance to any researchers who conduct online research.”

A must READ

In addition to addressing technology and related personal data issues, the Guideline addresses researcher relationships and responsibilities to clients and the general public as well as best practices for methodological quality, including data collection management and transparency. The Guideline is recommended reading for all stakeholders in the research process, from research and survey designers to data users. Watch this space Finn Raben, Director General of ESOMAR, adds: “Concerns about online privacy and the collection and use of personal data among both consumers and regulators have never been greater. The long-term viability of the research industry depends on how effectively we express our traditional values of respect for individuals and scientific integrity in new and emerging online research methods. In this Guideline, ESOMAR and GRBN have tried to do exactly that, although we also recognise that this is not likely to be the last you will hear from us on this important topic.”

New ESOMAR/GRBN Guidelines for Primary Data Collection and Duty of Care Open for Consultation – Have Your Say

By

GRBN_News

-

September 16, 2019

Two new guidelines are now up for public consultation. You are invited to share your opinion and suggest amendments.

The first guideline for consultation is the ESOMAR/GRBN guideline for researchers and clients involved in primary data collection. Instead of drafting guidelines for each of the research methodologies, ESOMAR and GRBN have chosen to combine the basic ethical principles for each methodology into three overarching guidelines. This will be the first of these guidelines.

The primary data collection guideline covers the ethical principles for any type of research in which the researcher has direct interaction with the people participating. Methodologies included are for example, surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnographic studies, and some forms of observational research, including mystery shopping.

The second guideline is the ESOMAR/GRBN guideline on duty of care. This guideline is to advise anyone working with personal data on their responsibilities to protect the privacy and well-being of the data subjects. It also reflects on some specific research related risks, and new technologies which could increase the risk of an individual being targeted as a result of them having shared their data.

The guideline may also help individuals, clients, researchers and their employees in distinguishing research activities from non-research activities meant to take direct action towards individual data subjects.

We invite you to share your opinion on each of these guidelines and welcome any feedback you may have. To do so, you can download the guideline, insert your comments and/or suggested changes by 30 September and send it to professional.standards@esomar.org.

Global Insights – September 2019 – Special Edition

By

GRBN_News

-

September 2, 2019

New ESOMAR/GRBN Guidelines for Primary Data Collection and Duty of Care Open for Consultation Your chance to have a say

Two new guidelines are now up for public consultation. You are invited to share your opinion and suggest amendments.

The first guideline for consultation is the ESOMAR/GRBN guideline for researchers and clients involved in primary data collection. Instead of drafting guidelines for each of the research methodologies, ESOMAR and GRBN have chosen to combine the basic ethical principles for each methodology into three overarching guidelines. This will be the first of these guidelines.

The primary data collection guideline covers the ethical principles for any type of research in which the researcher has direct interaction with the people participating. Methodologies included are for example, surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnographic studies, and some forms of observational research, including mystery shopping.

The second guideline is the ESOMAR/GRBN guideline on duty of care. This guideline is to advise anyone working with personal data on their responsibilities to protect the privacy and well-being of the data subjects. It also reflects on some specific research related risks, and new technologies which could increase the risk of an individual being targeted as a result of them having shared their data.

The guideline may also help individuals, clients, researchers and their employees in distinguishing research activities from non-research activities meant to take direct action towards individual data subjects.

We invite you to share your opinion on each of these guidelines and welcome any feedback you may have. To do so, you can download the guideline, insert your comments and/or suggested changes by 30 September and send it to professional.standards@esomar.org.

Insights Association’s CEO SUMMIT EUROPE Edinburgh, UK, September 11-13 Find out more and register

Creating Competitive Advantage – Insights Association’s Corporate Researcher Conference

Orlando, Florida, USA, October 22-24 Find out more and register

Global Guidance: GRBN and ESOMAR Leading the Way

By

GRBN_News

-

November 27, 2015

One of GRBN’s key objectives is to improve global research best practice. In 2014, GRBN joined forces with ESOMAR, agreeing to produce joint guidance, ensuring that comprehensive and consistent global guidance is produced, aiding practitioners in understanding their obligations wherever they are in the world. Online Sample Quality Guideline issued The first joint guidance, the Online Sample Quality Guideline, was issued earlier this year, and was warmly received by the research community. You can access that guideline here. In early June, GRBN and ESOMAR released its second joint document, the draft Guideline for Online Research. Draft Guideline for Online Research under review GRBN has been leading the guideline consultation with all 38 member associations that comprise the GRBN. The deadline for comments ended on Friday 10th July, and the Project Team, Co-Chaired by Peter Milla, Technical Consultant to CASRO and representing GRBN, and Reg Baker, Consultant to the ESOMAR professional Standards Committee, has begun reviewing the feedback to produce the post-consultation guidance document. A must for online research practitioners The new joint guidance will be extremely useful to practitioners conducting online research and explains how to apply some of the fundamental principles of market, social and opinion research in the context of current legal frameworks and regulatory environments around the world. The objective is to support researchers, especially those in small and medium-sized research organisations, in addressing legal, ethical and practical considerations when conducting research online. This guidance will complement the national guidance, which has been produced by a number of GRBN member associations, addressing specific domestic legal and ethical issues relating to online research.

ESOMAR_GRBN Guideline on Processing Secondary Data for Research

By

GRBN_News

-

June 7, 2022

Download the Guideline

GRBN and ESOMAR Recorded Webinar – Best practices when working with secondary data 4/5 (1)

By

GRBN_News

-

June 20, 2022

The research and insight function is rapidly extending from collecting and processing primary data to managing, synthesising and analysing secondary data, using a wide variety of analytic concepts and techniques. The result is an entirely new approach wherein insights, and analytics professionals assemble and analyse large databases to uncover patterns and deliver powerful new insights.

To take advantage of these exciting opportunities, researchers must be able respond to three key challenges. Firstly, the issues about who owns the data and under which conditions it can be used. Then the concerns about privacy, ethics, and reputational risk, given the increasing public disquiet about people’s ability to determine when their personal data is collected and how it is used. And thirdly, researchers need to ensure they can provide the right level of transparency to enable clients to make informed judgements about the quality of the data and data sources, as well as the validity of the algorithms that are used to analyse the data.

To help researchers meet these challenges ESOMAR and GRBN have drafted best practice guidelines on how to work with secondary data for research.

Download the Guideline

Codes & Guidelines

ESOMAR and GRBN publish global guidance for organisations and professionals on fair use of data.

Guidance clarifies key responsibilities when collecting and using personal data

To access the new guidelines please see the links provided below.

Further Contact

About ESOMAR

About the Global Research Business Network