Basis: Organic Law No. 2004-63 on personal data; Decree-Law No. 2011-88 (independence); Decree-Law No. 2011-115 on freedom of the press and publication; accepted international research-ethics principles (informed consent, do no harm, confidentiality); UNESCO recommendations on research and science.
1. Independence
Research questions, methods, findings and publication decisions belong to the researchers and TIPCS. Funders may comment for accuracy and safety but cannot dictate conclusions, remove findings or block publication. A project that would require this is declined. Every publication states who funded it and any conflict of interest.
2. Protecting participants
- Free, informed consent, given orally or in writing, with a clear explanation of purpose, use, risks, anonymity and the right to refuse or withdraw at any time.
- Risk assessment before fieldwork, especially in sensitive subjects (violence, migration, security, extremism); no one is placed at risk for the sake of data.
- Children and adults at risk only with the extra protections of the Safeguarding policy.
- No payment that pressures consent; reasonable reimbursement of costs is allowed.
3. Data and security
Personal data are collected only as needed, stored securely (encrypted where possible, access limited), anonymised or deleted when no longer needed, and shared only as consent and the law allow, including Organic Law No. 2004-63. Data are not transferred abroad unless the law and consent allow. Raw interview material and identities are never given to any funder or authority without legal obligation and, where possible, the participant’s agreement.
4. Integrity of work
- No fabrication, falsification or plagiarism; all sources and data cited; AI tools, if used, are disclosed and never replace verification of facts and quotations.
- Methods and limits are described; findings are not overstated; credit is given fairly to authors and contributors.
- Peer or internal review before publication; errors of fact are corrected openly with a dated note.
- Where possible, outputs are published openly with a citation line and a persistent identifier (DOI).
5. Oversight and complaints
The head of the Research Department (or the Secretary General) reviews sensitive projects before they start. Anyone may complain about research conduct through the Whistleblowing and complaints policy. The policy is reviewed every year.
To raise a concern, write to Contact@tipcs.org with the subject “CONFIDENTIAL – Concern”.