Ethics & Responsibility
Calmbranchmedia is committed to rigorous, transparent, and responsible scholarship. Our ethics framework guides editorial decisions, dataset curation, participant privacy, and how findings are communicated. We prioritise procedures that protect individuals, respect licensing and legal constraints, and support reproducibility where permissible. The guidance below summarises principles, governance, and practical steps we follow to ensure materials published on the portal meet high standards of integrity and public trust.
Core Principles
Integrity: our content must be accurate, sourced, and clearly documented. Transparency: provenance, methods, and contributor roles are published so readers can assess claims and reproducibility limits. Minimisation: we collect and display only the descriptive information necessary to support public understanding, avoiding unnecessary personal detail. Non-advocacy: analyses are presented descriptively; the portal does not advocate policy positions. Respect for participants and data subjects is central: when human subjects data are referenced, we ensure consent, legal access, and appropriate anonymisation. We document limitations and avoid overstating evidence; visuals are explicitly labelled as descriptive illustrations and not performance indicators. These principles guide editorial review, data curation, and communication practices across Calmbranchmedia.
Data Stewardship and Provenance
For each dataset used or published, Calmbranchmedia records provenance details including original custodians, access dates, licensing terms, and any pre-processing steps such as filtering, aggregation or anonymisation. We prioritise public administrative sources and open data where feasible. Where derivatives are produced, we publish codebook-like notes that describe variable definitions and transformations. When data are restricted for legal or privacy reasons, the publication explains access constraints and documents verification steps taken by the editorial team. Downloadable dataset extracts, when provided, include a recommended citation and a short codebook. Version control is applied to dataset extracts and provenance logs so corrections are transparent and traceable over time.
Consent, Privacy, and Anonymisation
When research involves human subjects or microdata, Calmbranchmedia ensures that use complies with applicable law and ethical standards. We assess whether original consent covers the intended descriptive use; if not, we avoid publishing identifiable information. Anonymisation procedures are applied where appropriate and documented in provenance statements. We do not publish primary personal identifiers. For administrative or proprietary data, we follow custodial restrictions and provide readers with an explanation of access limitations. Individuals or custodians seeking clarification about published materials may contact the editorial office for additional information, subject to legal and privacy constraints.
Responsible Communication of Findings
Calmbranchmedia emphasises careful wording and appropriate visual labelling to avoid misinterpretation. Descriptive findings are contextualised with methods and limitations. Figures, tables, and captions state units, sample frames, and aggregation steps. We avoid causal language unless supported by clear evidence and explicitly state when results are associative or descriptive. Editorial checks include verifying that visuals accurately reflect underlying summary statistics and that captions do not overclaim. Educational and media reuse should always cite original authors and consult the provenance notes before drawing new inferences.
Corrections, Complaints, and Governance
Calmbranchmedia maintains a transparent corrections policy. When errors are identified, we publish clear correction notices describing the nature of the change, the date of amendment, and links to archived versions where appropriate. Readers may report concerns or request additional provenance via the Contact page. Complaints are reviewed by the Editorial Lead and, when relevant, an independent assessor. Conflict-of-interest declarations from contributors are published with items and are reviewed periodically. Governance records of editorial decisions and declarations are retained and can be made available to qualified researchers on request, subject to privacy and legal constraints.