Project Summary

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There is growing awareness of the need for (and right to) inclusion of minority ethnic individuals in research that influences social policy and practice. There is concern, however, that the majority of funded UK social policy research focuses predominantly on the majority White British population and fails to consider ethnicity as a variable of analysis. Furthermore, where research does include samples or participants from minority ethnic 'groups' there is a vast array of approaches and practices to conceptualising ethnicity (including minority and majority ethnicities), and to measuring, analysing and reporting of results.

While it seems without question that, in principle, we should produce evidence that reflects the experience of our diverse population, in practice the ethical and scientific arguments around whether and how to incorporate ethnicity into policy-relevant social research are complex and subject to heated debate. Importantly, research that is poorly conceived and executed may serve to reinforce unhelpful stereotypes and hamper understanding of the causes of inequality. There is therefore a need for greater clarity regarding the ethical and scientific issues that arise, and it may be useful to develop guidance to support the social science research community in this area.

The present project recognises that there are four critical junctures in the research cycle at which there is the potential to significantly increase both the quantity and quality of research that incorporates ethnic diversity:

  1. Scoping and commissioning of research.
  2. Independent Scientific Review (ISR) or equivalent prior to receiving funding.
  3. Ethics Approval prior to commencing a study.
  4. Peer-review at publication stage.


At all stages, other academics, and in the case of (1), (2) and (3) members of the public or 'lay' readers too, may act as gate-keepers and can therefore potentially challenge researchers on whether and how ethnicity has been taken into consideration in their work.

This project uses a series of review and consultation exercises to consolidate expert opinion and to explore the feasibility and desirability of developing guidance to support commissioners of research, investigators, applicants and peer reviewers in considering when and how ethnic diversity should be included in social policy-relevant research projects. The project will explore whether guidance can assist these actors in making appropriate decisions and recommendations regarding research design to ensure that ethnic diversity is appropriately, effectively and sensitively incorporated into such research. The project will aim to introduce a series of guidance on a pilot basis and to critically evaluate their usefulness.

We are hosting a series of free workshops in the near future examining good practice when researching ethnic diversity. For more information about the workshops please click here.