Research policy

1. Purpose and Status of this Policy

This Researcher Study Rules / Research Policy sets out the minimum operational, ethical, and compliance requirements applicable to any Researcher who creates, uploads, publishes, distributes, or administers a study through the Platform. This Policy applies in addition to the Joinalyse Terms & Conditions, Privacy Notice, and any other applicable policies. In the event of inconsistency, the Terms & Conditions shall prevail unless expressly stated otherwise.

2. Scope

This Policy applies to all studies and research activities made available through Joinalyse, whether hosted directly on the Platform, linked through an external survey or data collection tool, distributed by invitation or public listing, or conducted on behalf of an Institution, supervisor, department, research group, lecturer, student, company, or other organisation.

3. Core Researcher Responsibilities

Each Researcher is solely responsible for the legality, ethics compliance, scientific integrity, operational conduct, participant-facing materials, and data processing associated with that Researcher’s study. Each Researcher must ensure that the study is accurately described, properly authorised where required, and conducted in accordance with applicable law, institutional requirements, funding conditions, disciplinary standards, and accepted research practice.

4. Ethics Approval

Before publishing or distributing a study through Joinalyse, the Researcher must determine whether ethics approval, ethics review, supervisor sign-off, institutional approval, or any equivalent authorisation is required. Where such approval is required by law, regulation, institutional policy, disciplinary norm, funding condition, or accepted research practice, the Researcher must obtain the relevant approval before launching the study. Joinalyse may request evidence of approval, exemption, or supervisory authorisation at any time. Publication or visibility on the Platform does not constitute ethics approval or endorsement by Joinalyse.

5. Informed Consent

Researchers must provide participants with sufficient, accurate, and comprehensible information to enable a free and informed decision whether to participate. Where consent is required, consent must be obtained before the collection of responses or personal data. Participant-facing information should, where applicable, identify the Researcher and Institution, state the purpose of the study, explain what participation involves, indicate the expected duration, identify any material risks or burdens, state whether participation is voluntary, explain withdrawal conditions, and describe the handling of data.

6. Privacy Notices and Data Protection

Where a study involves the collection or processing of personal data, the Researcher must provide an appropriate privacy notice or privacy statement to participants. The privacy notice should explain, where applicable, the identity of the controller, the purposes of processing, categories of personal data collected, legal basis, recipients or third parties, international data transfers, retention period, and available rights under applicable data protection law. Researchers remain solely responsible for compliance with data protection law in relation to study data, including the lawful basis for processing, data minimisation, security, retention, response to rights requests, and lawful international transfers.

7. Prohibited Studies

Researchers must not publish or distribute through Joinalyse any study that is unlawful, misleading, abusive, discriminatory, exploitative, defamatory, harmful, or otherwise inappropriate. Without limitation, prohibited studies include those involving phishing, malware, credential harvesting, unlawful surveillance, undisclosed collection of highly sensitive data, unlawful discrimination, impersonation of another person or Institution, or research activities likely to expose participants to unreasonable legal, physical, psychological, reputational, or economic risk.

8. External Survey Tools and Third-Party Services

Researchers may use third-party survey platforms, form tools, scheduling systems, or related services only where such tools are appropriate, lawful, and reasonably secure. Before using an external tool, the Researcher must assess its suitability, including privacy compliance, security, data storage location, access controls, retention functionality, and international transfer implications. Where participants are redirected to an external tool, the Researcher must make that fact clear in advance and must identify any additional terms or privacy notices that may apply. Joinalyse bears no responsibility for third-party tools selected by the Researcher.

9. Participant Complaints and Researcher Responsiveness

Researchers must handle participant questions, withdrawal requests, complaints, and concerns in a timely, respectful, and professional manner. Each study should include an appropriate contact point for participant queries. Researchers must cooperate with Joinalyse in connection with any participant complaint, review, or compliance investigation relating to a study.

10. Deceptive Studies

Researchers should avoid deception unless it is scientifically necessary, proportionate, ethically defensible, and permitted under applicable institutional or disciplinary rules. Any deceptive study must have any required prior ethics approval, must not conceal material risks, and must include appropriate debriefing where required. Joinalyse may request justification or supporting documentation for any study involving deception and may prohibit such studies at its discretion.

11. Data Retention and Deletion

Researchers are responsible for determining and implementing an appropriate retention period for personal data and research data collected in connection with a study. Personal data must not be retained longer than necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer period is required or justified by law, archiving obligations, funding conditions, institutional policy, or legitimate research governance requirements. Where appropriate, Researchers should anonymise or pseudonymise data, separate contact details from research responses, and ensure secure deletion or secure retention measures are applied.

12. Study Listing Requirements

Each study listed on Joinalyse must be accurate, not misleading, and sufficiently clear for participants
to understand the nature of the study. A study listing should, where applicable, include the study title, researcher and/or institution name, purpose or summary, estimated duration, eligibility criteria, use of external tools, relevant warnings or prerequisites, and links to or references to consent and privacy information.

13. Record-Keeping and Audit Cooperation

Researchers should retain adequate records to demonstrate compliance with this Policy where appropriate, including ethics approvals, consent materials, privacy notices, questionnaires, debriefing materials, and complaint handling records. Joinalyse may request reasonable documentation or clarification in order to verify compliance. Failure to cooperate may result in suspension, removal of a study, or account restrictions.

14. Breach and Enforcement

If a Researcher breaches this Policy, Joinalyse may require amendments, suspend publication, remove the study, restrict account functions, suspend or terminate access, revoke verification, or take any other reasonable action considered necessary to protect participants, Institutions, and the Platform. Serious or repeated breaches may result in permanent exclusion from the Platform and, where lawful and appropriate, notification to the relevant Institution or authority.

15. Platform Role and Limitation of Responsibility

Joinalyse provides digital infrastructure and does not supervise individual studies in real time. Visibility of a study on the Platform does not mean that Joinalyse has validated the study’s legality, ethics status, methodology, or data protection compliance. The Researcher remains solely responsible for the study and all participant-facing documents, approvals, notices, and data practices associated with it.

16. Updates to this Policy

Joinalyse may amend this Policy from time to time. The latest version shall be made available on the
Platform. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an updated version constitutes
acceptance of the revised Policy.

17. Contact

For questions relating to this Policy, Researchers may contact: SkyWise International B.V. (98259636), Bartelsweg, 7311DJ, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, [email protected].