Ethics Guidelines for Forced Migration Studies Published

Forced migration studies, as a multidisciplinary and multi-methodological field, demands rigorous ethical standards. Researchers must safeguard the dignity, rights, and well-being of all participants, especially those with lived displacement experiences. The Ethics Guidelines provide a practical framework for conducting research in an ethically responsible manner throughout the research process. 

The Ethics Guidelines of the German Network for Forced Migration Studies place the respect for human dignity and safeguarding the rights and well-being of all research participants, especially but not exclusively those with lived experience of displacement, at the heart of all research processes. The aim is to support ethical considerations, reflections, and practices in Forced Migration Studies scholarship regardless of the chosen research methods. The Guidelines provide a practical framework for academics to make ethically informed decisions throughout the research process. 

The Ethics Guidelines are based on long-standing debates and build upon existing codes of ethics. They were finalised in 2024 following a participatory process that involved researchers from diverse disciplines, both with and without lived experience of displacement. GIGA expert Dr. Christiane Fröhlich played a key role in the development of the guideline as spokesperson of the network. 

You can access the Ethics Guidelines here: