Ethical Guidance – ERIC (Ethical Research involving Children)
Published 2026
Contributors
Author: ERIC (Ethical Research involving Children)
Date: 2026
Source Type: Ethical Guidance
Theme: Safeguarding, Consent/ Assent, Incentives & Payment, Privacy & Confidentiality
Target Group Focus: Researchers
Availability: Open Access
Keywords: Children, Young People, Children’s Rights, Ethics
Introduction
The ERIC Ethical Guidance builds from the ERIC Charter and Philosophy
It is organised into four key areas that give rise to ethical dilemmas:
- Harms & Benefits
- Privacy & Confidentiality
- Informed Consent
- Payment & Compensation
Each section of ethical guidance offers:
- An introduction to the issue and key considerations;
- Links to the full guidance as a pdf (available in 6 languages);
- A summary of best practice;
- Reflexive questions to support you in applying the guidance to your research context;
- FAQs relating to the issue; and
- Relevant ERIC case studies from around the world.
In this way, the ERIC Guidance takes ethics beyond procedural compliance with institutional review boards (IRBs) (where these exist). It provokes critical thinking around ethics, and supports reflexivity in ethical decision-making throughout the research process.