Research ethics
First written: 5 July 2026 · Last updated: 10 October 2026
Every tool built in the lab is a research instrument. It is held to the same standards as the research it will serve.
The short version
- Ethics approval comes from the researcher's own institution, before any participant is involved.
- Consent is informed, opt-in and easy to withdraw.
- Tools collect the minimum data a question needs.
- We never fabricate, falsify or cherry-pick results.
Our reference point
We use the UK's Concordat to Support Research Integrity as our reference point. It sets out the standards UK research organisations, funders and researchers commit to, and it was refreshed in 2025. The commitments below explain how we apply it to building research tools.
Ethics approval comes first
A tool that involves people, their personal data or live online content is used in a study only after the researcher has approval from their own institution's research ethics committee, or the equivalent body for their field.
The lab does not grant ethics approval and is not a substitute for an ethics committee. What we do is make approval easier: every tool comes with clear documentation of what it collects, why, and how that data is protected, so a committee can judge it properly.
Consent that means something
Participants should know what a tool does before they start using it. Our tools collect research data only after a clear, plain-language explanation and an active opt-in, and withdrawing is designed to be as easy as joining.
The minimum data, protected
Tools collect only what a research question needs. Where they can, they use pseudonyms instead of names and keep extra data collection switched off by default. Collecting more is a deliberate, documented choice, never an accident.
Honest results
We never fabricate, falsify or selectively report data. Every tool documents what it was tested on and how it performed, so researchers know what it can and cannot support. Demos use clearly labelled sample data, never real participants' data.
Respect for people outside the study
Research tools can touch people who never signed up, such as the authors of online posts. We design tools to respect the law and the rights of those people, and we document exactly what each tool records about them, so researchers and ethics committees can decide what is appropriate.
Credit and conflicts of interest
Researchers keep ownership of their ideas. Everyone who contributes to a tool is credited, and any funding or conflict of interest connected to a tool is declared in its documentation.
Reviewed before release
No tool is released until it has passed the lab's peer review, which follows the stages of journal peer review.
Raising a concern
If you have an ethical concern about a lab tool, or a study that uses one, email hello@jointhinkspark.com with "Research ethics" in the subject line. We treat concerns confidentially, acknowledge them within 5 working days, and tell you what we do about them. If a concern involves a specific study, we will also point you to the ethics committee that approved it.