Researchers must:
1. Balance the interests of research subjects, research integrity, and business objectives.

2. Respect the wishes and rights of research subjects and make reasonable efforts to ensure that research subjects are not harmed, disadvantaged, or harassed as a result of their participation in research.

3. Be honest, transparent, fair, and straightforward in all interactions.

4. Always distinguish between research and non-research activities to maintain legislative and public confidence in the integrity of research.

5. When engaging in non-research activities, do not permit any direct action toward an individual based on their participation in research without their consent.

6. Ensure that data obtained for purposes of research are not used to reveal the identity of the research subject without their consent.

Transparency, Notice, and Choice
Researchers must:

1. Promptly identify themselves so that research subjects can easily verify business credentials.

2. Respect the right of research subjects contacted for research as part of a customer list to know the sponsoring company (the company that provided their personal data to the research company) either at the beginning or end of the research (with the understanding that disclosure may preclude participation).

3. Be fully transparent with research participants regarding relevant parameters and requirements of a research project.

4. The researcher must notify the data subject at the beginning of the research when there is use of an AI-based avatar or chatbot for data collection which could be perceived to be a human.

5. Ensure participation is voluntary and based on accurate information, stated as soon as methodologically possible, about the general purpose and nature of the research.

6. Respect the right of research subjects to refuse requests to participate in research.

7. Respect the right of those already engaged in research to terminate their participation or refuse requests for additional or other forms of research participation.

8. Upon request, permit research subjects to access, correct, or update any personal data being retained about them.

9. Limit the use of incentives only as a means to encourage participation in research.

10. Work with research subjects and all stakeholders to resolve any issues or concerns that may arise as a result of participating in research.

Consent
Researchers must:
1. Obtain the research subject’s consent for research participation and the collection of personal data or confirm that consent was properly obtained by the owner of the data or sample source.

2. If known at the time of data collection, inform research subjects of any activities that will involve re-contact. In such situations, the researcher must obtain the research subject’s consent to share personal information for re-contacting purposes. Re-contacting research subjects for quality control purposes does not require prior notification.

3. Obtain consent from the research subject before using his/her data in a manner that is materially different from what the research subject has agreed.

Researchers must obtain informed consent before collecting or using passive data whenever feasible, regardless of the collection method. Participants must have clear, accessible options to grant and withdraw consent at any time. If a device is shared among multiple users, researchers must take all reasonable steps to delete data not linked to the consenting individual. In cases where obtaining consent is impractical, data collection must be legally justified, and personally identifiable information must be removed, pseudonymized, or anonymized as soon as operationally possible. Researchers must implement safeguards to mitigate the risk of unintended data capture and ensure compliance with applicable privacy laws and ethical standards.

Special considerations must be given to the collection of sensitive data, ensuring stricter security, limited retention, and explicit participant awareness. Data accuracy must be validated to account for device limitations, software conflicts, and other factors that may impact reliability.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) research tools present incremental and evolving considerations that impact respondent privacy, transparency, data integrity, and potential for bias.

1. Respondent anonymity is essential across the data lifecycle. Personal data should not be used in AI training data sets without informed consent, and researchers must ensure personally identifiable information cannot be reverse-engineered by AI inference.

2. If AI tools are selected then their use, purpose, technique (e.g., predictive, generative), model-type (open-source or proprietary), model-accuracy, and data source (primary, secondary, synthetic) must be disclosed. AI-generated data, either predictive or generative, must be clearly distinguished from data directly derived from human research participants.

3. No AI system used in research should operate exclusively without human judgment embedded in its lifecycle — from design and implementation to validation and application. AI models must be evaluated regularly to consider intentional and unintentional biases in data and design. Researchers should evaluate if the model reflects its intended purpose and consider bias resulting from demographic or cultural variables.

When using second- and third-party data, researchers must:
1. Take reasonable steps to confirm the data was not collected in violation of laws or regulations, or in ways that were not apparent to or reasonably understood or anticipated by the research subject.

2. Ensure the use is not incompatible with the purpose for which the data was originally collected and to which research subjects consented.

3. Ensure use of the data will not result in any harm to research subjects and there are measures in place to guard against any such harms.

4. Be transparent about any underlying data set, including its origins, use rights, custodianship, structure, populations represented, recency, and intellectual property ownership considerations.

Have a privacy policy that is readily accessible, easily understood, and clearly states both the Researchers’ privacy practices and the Research subject’s privacy rights.

1. Before transferring personal data to a client, subcontractor, or other third-party must:

a. Obtain the research subjects’ consent (unless an applicable law or regulation allows or requires otherwise)
b. Ensure such recipients maintain at least equivalent security measures, and have committed to comply with applicable data protection and data breach laws;
c. Take particular care to ensure that the data protection rights of data subjects whose personal data is transferred from one jurisdiction to another are maintained;
d. Transfer only the minimum amount of personal data necessary for such recipients to perform the agreed services.

2. Only use or share personal data for the purpose(s) for which it was collected.

3. Ensure that data collected as part of the research process is not used to identify a research subject without their consent, unless required to comply with applicable law and regulation.

4. Ensure that all personal data collected, received, or processed by the researcher, subcontractor or other service provider is secured and protected against loss, unauthorized access, use, modification, destruction, or disclosure by the implementation of appropriate organizational and technological controls.

5. Limit data collected to what is necessary for or reasonably likely to benefit the specific research and analytical requirements and objectives.

6. Ensure that personal data is retained only for the duration required for the intended purpose and in compliance with applicable contracts, policies, laws, and regulations.

7. In the event of a data breach involving personal data, data subjects, along with any relevant authorities, must be informed of the breach as required by applicable laws and contracts.

Researchers must take special care when conducting research with children and other vulnerable individuals. When conducting research with such individuals, researchers must:

1. Follow the laws and regulations governing consent for children or vulnerable individuals, as it pertains to age, the type of vulnerability, and the research being conducted.

2. Take special care when considering whether to involve children or vulnerable people in research. The questions asked must take into account their age and level of comprehension.

3. Obtain verifiable informed consent from a parent or legal guardian for children or other vulnerable individuals when required.

4. Ensure that vulnerable individuals are not unduly pressured or misled to cooperate in research.

5. Consider the topic of the research and the vulnerable person’s ability to give consent, and then only move ahead if the participant has the capacity to participate truthfully and openly without the possibility of harm.

Responsibilities to ClientsResearchers must:

1. Be honest and transparent in all interactions.

2. Accurately represent their qualifications, skills, experience, and resources.

3. Be transparent about the origins of the data being used and any use of AI that may represent a risk to research quality or accuracy.

4. Ensure the full disclosure of any personal, financial, or organizational conflicts of interest that might influence the research.

5. Identify subcontractors upon request, when possible without creating a competitive disadvantage or conflict of interest, or when required by contract. Ensure that subcontractor practices and associated contracts comply with this code.

6. Inform all clients when a project is conducted on behalf of more than one client.

7. Use data collected solely for a specific client only for its intended purpose and for that client except as it pertains to internal quality and operational processes.

8. Appropriately cite any secondary data to properly credit the source of the information used.

9. Work in good faith to resolve all disputes with clients, subcontractors, and research subjects.

10. Be transparent about non-research activities in which a sample or panel may participate.

Researchers must:

1. Design or assist clients in designing effective research that is fit for purpose and communicate any issues or limitations that may be associated with a chosen research design.

2. Perform all work under the specifications detailed in the research proposal, statement of work, and any documented, post-proposal amendments to the research design.

3. Perform all work under generally accepted research practices and principles. When using new and emerging research practices, researchers must ensure that the underlying principles are methodologically sound.

4. Ensure that findings and interpretation are adequately supported by data and provide such supporting data to the client upon request.

5. Provide the technical information required to permit the client to verify that work meets contract specifications, while protecting personal information (refer to Section 2: Primary Data Collection, Consent, #2 for more information).

6. Provide sufficient information to permit independent assessment of the quality of data presented and the validity of conclusions drawn.

7. Be transparent when discussing any known or suspected substantive biases in the research.

Responsibilities to the Pubic
Researchers must:
1. Obtain explicit approval from clients before releasing findings publicly.

2. Ensure the findings released are an accurate portrayal of the research data, are not presented in a way that is likely to mislead, and that careful checks are performed on the accuracy of all data presented.

3. Provide the basic information, including technical details, to permit independent assessment of the quality and validity of the data presented and the conclusions drawn, unless prohibited by legitimate proprietary or contractual restrictions.

4. Promptly take appropriate actions to correct information if any public release is found to be incorrect.

Responsibilities to the Profession
Researchers must:
1. Be familiar and comply with this Code and all applicable international, national, state, and local laws and regulations.

2. Act with high standards of integrity, professionalism, and transparency in all relationships and practices.

3. Behave ethically and do nothing that might damage the reputation of research or lead to a loss of public confidence in it.

4. Communicate with respect and civil discourse in all interactions.