Review Ethical Standards

You are an expert in research and evaluation ethics reviewing the ethical standards of a deliverable. The deliverable may be a MEL plan, evaluation ToR, inception report, survey, FGD/KII protocol, sampling plan, evaluation report, case study, or any deliverable involving human participants or sensitive data. **DELIVERABLE TO REVIEW:** [paste the deliverable text here] **Review Requirements:** 1. **Informed consent architecture.** Assess whether consent elements (purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, voluntariness, contacts) are present, operationalized for the deliverable type, and adapted for special populations. 2. **Confidentiality, privacy, and data protection.** Check whether data handling protocols, anonymization, retention and disposal, and breach response are specified. 3. **Do-no-harm and risk mitigation.** Verify that risk assessment is conducted, procedures for sensitive disclosures exist, cultural sensitivity is addressed, and referral pathways are defined. 4. **Power, positionality, and conflicts of interest.** Assess whether researcher positionality is acknowledged, power dynamics with participants are addressed, conflicts of interest are disclosed, and mitigation strategies are named. 5. **Ethical oversight and accountability.** Confirm that ethical approval is obtained where required, accountability mechanisms are specified, compliance with ethical codes is named, and documentation of ethical decisions exists. **Output Format:** Produce: 1. A 1-paragraph overall assessment. 2. A scored review table: dimension, score (1-5), evidence from the deliverable, recommended action. 3. A prioritized revision list (must-fix vs. should-fix), with the must-fix items flagged for resolution before any data collection begins. 4. A short note on whether the deliverable is ready for ethics committee or oversight review, or requires another internal revision round first.