World Pulse is committed to ensuring that the way we conduct evaluation and research reflects the interests and values of our community members. The guidelines define the key qualities and principles that should direct any research or data collection in the World Pulse community. The guidelines are:

Voice

Each community member’s voice has value. These voices should be honored in any research and evaluation efforts. We believe each person should have a say over their own voice -- what is shared, how it is shared, and when it is shared. We recognize consent as informed, contextual, actively given, and an ongoing process. For example, we encourage the ability to opt-in rather than opt-out of participation. Valuing our voices also means acknowledging our time and labor. For example, this might include offering recognition, incentives, and/or compensation where possible. We also invite and seek ways to be involved in and/or lead research efforts that directly affect us.

Transparency

We as a community seek to be open and honest about what we are doing and why. For research and evaluation, this includes what data is being collected and for what purposes and who benefits. We strive to make our communication clear and accessible. Being transparent holds us as individuals and as an organization accountable to living our values. For example, we believe in sharing back results and making them available to those who participated. 

Safety

Speaking out is courageous and not without risk. We recognize safety is a collective effort. Community members may have different vulnerabilities to potential harms both online and offline. We aim to be aware of these risks, encourage reflection and education about these potential harms, and actively take steps we can to help ensure members’ data are private and only shared in the ways members choose. We also acknowledge that situations shift over time, requiring constant vigilance and ways for members to take action to be safe. For example, this may involve asking about whether or not members want their story or quote shared beyond the platform and whether or not they want their name attached at this time. 

Inclusion

We embrace the diversity of our community and actively strive to make any research and evaluation efforts more inclusive and accessible. We are mindful of the different geopolitical and cultural contexts in which members are situated. This includes attending to differences in technology access, language and literacy, culture, ability, time, and more. We encourage offering multiple ways to participate when possible. For example, since members have different levels of digital access, this might involve offering a video conference like Zoom but also the ability to participate in conversations through email. We also aim to represent a wide array of experiences and contexts when we share results. 

Care

Community members often share personal stories, including accounts of trauma. We strive to exercise empathy and compassion when inviting participation, when members share their stories, and when considering whether to further share these stories. We seek to respond first in a spirit of care, recognizing our obligations to one another. We recognize we are interconnected, which means we all must exercise care with one another and with ourselves. For example, this may include at times not sharing others’ stories beyond their original context (see Safety). Change work requires that we also care for ourselves, so we respect each other’s time and that members may choose at times to not participate.

Change

Any research and evaluation efforts begin with a goal of social change in mind, seeking to benefit our communities. We view research and our participation in it as a way to not only make known the change that is happening but also to be part of it. We recognize the power that comes from individually and collectively sharing our voices and stories. We seek to share and amplify results in ways that create or catalyze change. For example, this may look like reports that are compiled and shared in various forms with people in leadership roles to effect change.