Code of Conduct
This code sets out the standards we hold ourselves to. It applies to everyone who carries the INSIGHTS name: our researchers, fellows, staff, contributors, interns, and guests. It is not decoration. It is the basis on which we associate with one another and with the wider world.
Our credibility rests on conduct, not just on output. The standards below are conditions of association with INSIGHTS, and serious or repeated breaches are grounds for disassociation.
1. Intellectual integrity
All research, writing, and policy recommendation published under our name must meet the highest standards of honesty and rigour. Plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and deliberately selective citation are incompatible with membership of this organisation and are grounds for immediate disassociation. Where we get something wrong, we correct it openly rather than quietly.
2. Non-partisanship
INSIGHTS is independent by constitution and by conviction. As an organisation we do not endorse political parties, candidates, or movements, and we do not lend our name to any partisan campaign. Individual members hold their own political views, and they are free to, but they do not advance those views through INSIGHTS work, and our published analysis is expected to stand on evidence rather than allegiance.
3. Good-faith argument
We take disagreement seriously and we take it on fairly. When we engage an opposing position, we engage its strongest form, not a convenient caricature of it. We are happy to publish sharp criticism of ideas. We do not traffic in contempt for the people who hold them. A position that has never met its best opponent has not yet earned the name.
4. Respect and inclusion
We are committed to a professional environment free of discrimination and harassment. We do not tolerate prejudice or hostile conduct on the basis of gender, caste, religion, region, language, sexual orientation, disability, or political affiliation. Everyone associated with INSIGHTS is entitled to be treated with dignity, and everyone is responsible for extending it. This applies in our offices, at our events, and in our conduct online.
5. Disclosure of interests
All authors, fellows, and contributors are required to disclose funding sources, institutional affiliations, and any other interest that could reasonably be seen to bear on the subject of their work. Disclosure protects both the writer and the reader, and it is a condition of publication, not an optional courtesy.
6. Editorial independence
Funders, donors, and partner institutions do not influence the content of our research or writing. Editorial decisions rest with the editorial team and the relevant Centre leadership, and with no one else. If a partnership ever came with a condition on what we could conclude, we would decline the partnership.
7. Engagement with government and industry
We engage substantively and willingly with government officials, industry, and civil society, because that is where research meets practice. Such engagement is governed by transparency: formal partnerships are disclosed, and our recommendations stand on their own evidentiary merit regardless of who is in the room.
8. Use of the INSIGHTS name
Membership does not entitle anyone to commit the organisation to positions, partnerships, or statements without authorisation. When you speak only for yourself, say so. When you speak for INSIGHTS, you carry the standards in this code with you.
9. Raising a concern
If you experience or witness conduct that falls short of this code, you can raise it in confidence by writing to info@insightsthink.org. Concerns are taken seriously, handled discreetly, and addressed in good faith. We would much rather hear about a problem than have it go unspoken.