GCRI · Sociedad y desarrollo humano
Ética de la investigación inclusiva
Research with people, especially those affected by crises, poverty or discrimination, raises questions of consent, harm, power and benefit. Inclusive research ethics asks that participants be respected and protected, that communities share in shaping and benefiting from research, and that data be governed responsibly. This page sets out the principles and practices involved, how they are assessed, and what evidence serves researchers, ethics committees and funders.
Inclusive research ethics on the record.
Inclusive research ethics: how the risk develops.
Participation, consent and local knowledge. The dossier below sets out how the risk develops, what is measured, where the data come from, how it is modelled and who decides.
Consent must be informed and free
Participants need to understand what research involves and be free to refuse. Crises, dependence on aid and power differences can undermine free consent.
Harms can follow research
Data can be used to identify, stigmatise or target people. Protecting confidentiality and minimising data collection reduce these risks.
Communities should shape research
Research designed with communities is more relevant and more likely to benefit them, and helps correct imbalances between researchers and participants.
Benefits should be shared
Results, data and capacity should return to the communities and countries where research takes place.
How inclusive research ethics is modelled, measured and tested.
El modelo, sus supuestos, sus datos y su incertidumbre, en la forma en que un científico o un ingeniero los comprobaría. Las estructuras siguen métodos publicados. Los valores representados son ilustrativos, no hallazgos.
Modelo de sistema
The couplings between the systems in inclusive research ethics: signs of influence, a reinforcing and a balancing loop, and cross-links where stress jumps.
Ethics govern research with people in every domain.
- SaludAcoplamientoHealth research with people requires ethics review and consent.What to watchEthics approvals
- BiodiversidadAcoplamientoIndigenous knowledge requires free, prior and informed consent.What to watchConsent records
- AlimentaciónAcoplamientoSurveys of food insecurity must protect respondents.What to watchProtección de datos
Practice is designed for the serie Methods and Technical. The Belmont Report (1979), the Declaration of Helsinki (revised 2024) and the CARE Principles (2020) set the ethics.
- Ethics review lessons.
- Community research agreements.
Qué se mide y con qué calidad.
Cada indicador lleva su unidad, su periodicidad, el tipo de fuente que lo respalda y la etiqueta de evidencia que llevaría un valor. No se muestran valores: un programa los aporta bajo su propia autoridad.
| Indicador | Unidad | Cadencia | Tipo de fuente | Etiqueta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studies with ethics review | percent of published studies reporting approval | por revisión | Publication audits | OBSERVADO |
| Research with community engagement documented | percent of projects | por revisión | Project records | DECLARADO |
| Local researchers in authorship | share of authors from study countries | por revisión | Bibliometric analysis | OBSERVADO |
| Data management plans with protection measures | percent of funded projects | por revisión | Funder records | DECLARADO |
| Results returned to participants or communities | percent of projects | por revisión | Project records | DECLARADO |
| Ethics committees with capacity for social research | recuento | por evaluación | Institutional records | NOTIFICADO |
De dónde procede la evidencia.
Conjuntos de datos públicos y registros institucionales identificados, cada uno con su tipo de licencia. Las fuentes obtenidas por acuerdo solo se utilizan conforme a sus condiciones y nunca se republican.
| Fuente | Lo que aporta | Tipo de licencia |
|---|---|---|
| CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans | Ethical guidance for research in diverse settings | Public, CIOMS terms |
| Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor Settings | Principles of fairness, respect, care and honesty | Public, terms to check |
| Recomendación de la UNESCO sobre la ciencia abierta | Principles on inclusion and equity in science | Public, UNESCO terms |
| Principios CARE para la gobernanza de datos indígenas | Collective rights in data | Public, GIDA terms |
| Bibliometric databases such as OpenAlex | Authorship and collaboration patterns | Abierta, CC0 |
Quién decide y a qué sirve la evidencia.
Society and Human Development prepares evidence. The decisions below are taken by the authorities named, under their own rules, and never by the platform.
| Quién decide | La pregunta | Evidencia a la que sirve esta página |
|---|---|---|
| Ethics committees | Whether research is ethical and how to monitor it | Checklists; protection plans |
| Researchers and research teams | How to design inclusive and protective research | Engagement and benefit-sharing guides |
| Funders | What ethics and equity conditions to set | Audit evidence |
Productos que genera este tema
- Ethics review checklists for research in crises
- Community engagement and benefit-sharing guides
- Data protection plans for research with vulnerable groups
- Audits of authorship and benefit sharing
Las preguntas que se plantean los expertos.
- Who defines the research question, and do affected people have a voice in it?
- Is consent truly informed and voluntary, especially in crises and unequal relationships?
- How is local and Indigenous knowledge recognised, credited and protected?
- What data are collected, who controls them and how could they cause harm?
- What do participants and communities receive from the research?
Principles in practice.
Ethical research begins with respect for persons, beneficence and justice, principles long established in research ethics, applied with care to settings of crisis and inequality. Consent must be informed, voluntary and ongoing, which is difficult when people depend on assistance or fear consequences. Research should minimise burden, avoid repeated assessment of the same communities and stop when risks outweigh benefits.
Participation ranges from consultation to co-design and community-led research. Indigenous data sovereignty principles assert the rights of Indigenous peoples to govern data about them. Local knowledge of hazards, ecosystems and coping often precedes and complements scientific data, and should be credited and used only with permission. Data protection, including minimisation, anonymisation and secure storage, protects participants from identification and misuse.
Crisis settings add specific duties. Researchers must avoid diverting resources from response, coordinate to prevent over-assessment, protect staff and participants, and recognise that people in distress may agree to take part because they hope for assistance. Clear explanation that research is separate from aid is part of valid consent.
Methods and safeguards.
Ethical review
Independent review of protocols before research starts, with attention to risk and consent.
Co-design
Communities shape questions, methods and interpretation.
Protection by design
Collect only what is needed, protect identities and agree retention and use.
Limits: ethical review cannot anticipate every situation, power imbalances persist even with good procedures, and anonymisation can fail when small groups or locations are described.
Cómo se estudia y lo que los métodos no pueden decir.
- 01Ciencias sociales y del comportamientoDiseño de encuestas para grupos de difícil acceso · Investigación cualitativa y participativaAplicado aquí
- 02Inferencia causal y evaluación de impactoEvaluación de las transferencias monetarias · Efectos de los desastres en los hogares · Evaluación de programas educativosAplicado aquí
- 03Estadística espacial y geoestadísticaEstimación de la pobreza en áreas pequeñas · Superposición de vulnerabilidad y amenazasAplicado aquí
Where this page’s references lead.
Los organismos y documentos con los que se lee esta página. El estado y las ediciones cambian; cada enlace lleva al organismo emisor.
Preguntas y respuestas.
What is informed consent?
What is benefit sharing in research?
Why is research in crises ethically sensitive?
Can participants withdraw?
Who owns community knowledge?
How do I report an ethical concern?
Aporte evidencia desde esta página.
serie Reports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.
- Correo electrónicoPasarela GW-GCRIEnvíelo desde esta páginaEvidencia, una corrección, un caso, un método, una revisión, una traducción o un aporte a un perfil. Llega etiquetado con esta página, de modo que lo recibe el editor responsable.
- ZenodoDepósito abiertoDeposítelo y envíelo a la comunidadPublique su propio registro en Zenodo con su ORCID iD y luego envíelo a la comunidad de Reports allí. Los curadores lo revisan; el DOI sigue siendo suyo.
- serie ReportsGCRIVer todas las formas de contribuirLos tipos de contribución, cómo se revisa cada uno, qué crédito recibe, la licencia y qué nunca se acepta.
No envíe nunca datos personales, detalles sensibles de infraestructura ni nada que no tenga derecho a compartir. Un aporte se revisa antes de su uso; enviarlo no confiere autoría ni derechos editoriales, y el patrocinio nunca compra un hallazgo.
Aporte un método, un conjunto de datos o una pregunta.
La información y las consultas están abiertas hoy. Una consulta recibe una referencia e indica el siguiente paso; las solicitudes, pagos, asignaciones de cómputo y registros solo se abren cuando existen su equipo, sus condiciones y la capacidad de revisión.
Documentos jurídicos.
Los mapas, datos y cifras de este sitio se muestran como contexto e información general. No son consejos, pronósticos ni avisos; los límites de la información se exponen en los Descargos de responsabilidad y los Avisos sobre datos.