IRC Research Standards
The IRC Research Standards provide a roadmap for all studies conducted by, or in collaboration with, the IRC. In 2015, building on a decade of experience in conducting research in over 40 countries, the IRC’s research team conducted a review with colleagues across the organization to identify the main challenges in implementing research as well as pinpoint the common threads across our most successful projects.
Based on this review, we created the Research Standards (Design, Resources, Management, Ethics, Data Collection & Protection, Cost Effectiveness, Transparency, Use of Findings, Learn, and Equity) to provide guidance on best practices and to set up research studies for success. All research studies at the IRC must meet the IRC Research Standards.
Research Standard 1: Design
Research design is highly robust and appropriate to answer effectiveness, operational, and/or cost research questions is stakeholder-informed, feasible, and contextually appropriate.
Download tools under Research Standard 1:
🔗 Developing impact evaluation questions: DOC↓
🔗 Developing program evaluation questions: DOC↓
🔗 Developing survey questionnaire: DOC↓
🔗 Qualitative transcription and translation: DOC↓
🔗 Focus Groups - Guidance: PDF↓
🔗 Focus Groups - Guidance - FRENCH: PDF↓
Research Standard 2: Resources
Research activities and staffing are adequately resourced. There is sufficient time in the work plan to develop and implement the research activities at high quality.
Download tools under Research Standard 2:
🔗 Research Budget Guidance: PDF↓
🔗 Budget template - survey team calculator: EXCEL↓
Research Standard 3: Management
Clear roles and responsibilities are assigned, and a communications and decision-making protocol is developed and implemented.
Download tools under Research Standard 3:
🔗 Roles and Responsibilities - Guidance: PDF↓
Research Standard 4: Ethics
All research & innovation projects receive either 1) IRB approval at the IRC or another approved IRB, for human subjects research; or 2) innovation ethics review, for non-human subjects research projects. Ethical procedures consider sensitivity to context, diversity, safety, confidentiality, and dignity of clients. Beneficiaries are consulted on risks & mitigation strategies wherever appropriate. Research data with personally identifiable information (PII) are adequately protected.
Download tools under Research Standard 4:
🔗Human Subjects Research - Definition
🔗Guidance on Community Participation and Local Advisory Groups: PDF↓ NEW
🔗Community Participation and Local Advisory Groups - Ethics Training: PDF↓ NEW
🔗Ethical Guidance in Rapid Onset Emergencies (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
Research Standard 5: Data Collection & Protection
Data collection is conducted using best practices. Data collection, cleaning, and protection/security protocols are developed, implemented, and updated as required.
Download tools under Research Standard 5:
🔗 Data Collection Guidance: DOC↓
🔗 Data collection protocol - Template: DOC↓
🔗 Hiring & Managing Enumerators: DOC↓
🔗 Survey - Back-check manual: DOC↓
🔗 Data Protection and Management Toolkit - Table of content: DOC↓
🔗 Defining Personally-Identifying Information: DOC↓
🔗 Data Protection and Management Checklist: PDF↓
🔗 Data Protection and Management Protocol Guidance: DOC↓
🔗 Confidentiality Agreements for Data Collection Staff: DOC↓
Standard 6: Cost Effectiveness
All impact evaluations collect data on the cost of implementing program activities, including necessary time & effort tracking, on a quarterly basis to ensure the feasibility of cost-effective analysis.
Download tools under Research Standard 6:
🔗 Cost-effectiveness: EXCEL↓
Standard 7: Transparency
The IRC commits to transparency in research. Regardless of whether results are positive, negative, or null, the IRC disseminates research, evaluation, and costing analysis results to key stakeholders, including research participants. All methods and findings should be transparent and understandable in communication products that are accessible to participants and partners. De-identified data are shared where appropriate and as defined by open data policies.
Download tools under Research Standard 7:
🔗 Pre-Analysis Plan –Template: DOC↓
🔗 Validating research findings: DOC↓ (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
🔗 Data analysis & visualization - Resources: DOC↓ (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
Standard 8: Use of Findings
An uptake and dissemination plan is developed, resourced, and implemented. Research results are actionable and accessible to a practitioner audience. If recommendations are made as part of the research report, IRC writes a management response detailing whether and how recommendations will be actioned.
Download tools under Research Standard 8:
🔗 Report quality checklist - for externally commissioned evaluations: DOC↓
🔗 Research dissemination and influence strategy template: DOC↓
Standard 9: Learn
Research implementation successes, challenges and lessons learned are captured and used to improve future research projects.
Download tools under Research Standard 9:
🔗 After-action review: DOC↓
Standard 10: Equity
We acknowledge there are power differentials when conducting research that can be affected by and exacerbated by the research process. These differentials can arise through interlinking systems of oppression such as sexism, racism, xenophobia, heteronormativity, ageism, ableism, historical and neo-colonization, etc. We aim to conduct ethical research in the following ways to promote equity and reduce power imbalances throughout the process.
Download tools under Research Standard 10:
🔗 Research Equity Standard: PDF↓