This code of ethics sets out principles that will guide the Association for Canadian Clinical Legal Education (ACCLE) in ethically engaging in research projects. The code outlines ACCLE’s obligations before, throughout, and after its research projects.
PRINCIPLES
- Honesty: ACCLE commits to honestly reporting the data, results, methods and procedures in its research projects.
- Do No Harm: ACCLE commits to the principle of doing no harm to individuals or communities in the course of its research projects.
- Impartiality: While ACCLE was founded to advance the interests of clinical legal education in Canada, the members will be impartial as to its research design and process and avoid partiality especially where objectivity is expected or required.
- Human Rights: ACCLE commits to not discriminate against anyone with whom it comes into contact with as a result of the research on the basis of sex, race, religion, language, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality or any other grounds.
- Integrity: Researchers shall display continuous adherence to ethics before, throughout, and after the completion of the research project.
- Transparency: Participants should not experience barriers to accessing information about the research project. Research methods will be shared publicly, including ethical issues that arise in the course of research.
- Privacy: ACCLE will collect personal information in the course of research. ACCLE commits to using servers located in Canada.
- Confidentiality: Participant information shall remain confidential. This includes communication between participants and researchers as well as participant data. All data collected shall be anonymized soon after data collection, and only researchers directly involved in the research shall have access to the data. Participant data and personal information shall not be shared with other participants or personnel outside the research project.
- Informed Consent: Researchers have a duty to obtain informed consent from participants prior to collecting data. Researchers shall describe the foreseeable risk and potential benefits of the research to participants. Consent shall be given voluntarily, and can be withdrawn at any time, with no consequences to the participant.
- Timely dissemination: ACCLE agrees to share data in a timely manner after it is collected.
- Data security (or Safeguards): ACCLE is committed to using data collection software that has servers in Canada.
- Appropriate secondary usage of information: No personal information will be used as data for another research study without express authorization. Anonymized data may be used for another research purpose so long as it does not reveal the personal information of a participant or adversely affect any participant.
- Accountability: Issues that arise with this survey should be directed to info@accle.ca. The ACCLE Board will review complaints and questions in a timely fashion.
Approved and adopted by ACCLE Board of Directors on October 6, 2021.