Ethics in Qualitative Migration and Refugee Studies in Europe: From “Doing no Harm” to Reciprocity and Equity

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are key concepts in European ethical research standards, especially in qualitative migration and refugee studies (QMRS). The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (ALLEA, 2012, 2023) provides a framework for the European research community that is grounded in the principles of doing no harm, reliability, honesty, respect, and accountability. The 2023 revision of this Code also emphasizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, these principles are not yet adequately integrated and operationalized in European universities’ ethics standards. Moreover, ethical guidelines often fail to prioritize reciprocal benefit, as suggested in migration scholarship. This article aims to address these gaps by presenting experience-based strategies that meet research needs, and, importantly, research population needs, on the premise that reciprocity is the basis of equity. Between March and November 2023, the Centre for the Social Study of Migration and Refugees (CESSMIR) at Ghent University organized five structured workshops to explore ethics in QMRS. Researchers focused on identifying inspiring practices that are relevant to both the “do no harm” and “reciprocal benefit” principles across all stages of research: design, recruitment, data collection, analysis, and dissemination. The inspiring practices that were identified include: reflecting on researcher positionality (invisibility, reasonable availability, advocacy), non-intrusive recruitment, iterative informed consent, ethnographic observation as a falsifying method, checking construct validity and data collection site considerations, linguistic reflexivity, analyzing interaction, back-translation and dissemination in collaboration with and adapted to the concerned communities, and, finally, co-creation throughout all research phases. This article proposes the use of its “Guiding questions for equity and reciprocal benefit in qualitative migration and refugee studies (QMRS Guide 1.0)” to support ethical reflection throughout the research process from an ethics-by-design perspective. It advances the discussion on the incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion into university ethics codes, linking migration governance, research, and knowledge politics.