Research with human participants – anonymous or non-anonymous – and following a methodology from the social sciences and humanities – e.g. interviews, surveys, focusgroups, but also ethnographic or participatory research – must always obtain clearance from the Ethics Committee for Social Sciences and Humanities (EASHW).
When conducting research with human participants, the golden rule of ethically responsible research is ‘Voluntary Informed Participation’. In addition, attention to and reflection on the vulnerability of the target group and the sensitivity of the research topic is required.