This article is part of the Iris Ethics Knowledge Base; you can find a directory of all articles here.
Overview
Participants who contribute to research or evaluation may have a legitimate interest in knowing its findings. Returning findings to participants is an expression of respect and acknowledges the contribution participants have made (NS 3.1, Element 5). Providing findings can be a benefit, but it can also be a source of risk, including psychological, social, or legal risk, so the approach taken should reflect the values of justice, respect, and beneficence, including consideration of the preferences of traditional custodians such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
Deciding whether and how to return findings
In considering whether to return results, researchers and evaluators should distinguish individual research/evaluation results from overall results, and address, for whichever will be provided:
- how the results will be provided to participants;
- how the process of returning results will be managed; and,
- the risks of returning individual or overall results (NS 3.1.62).
Where information could be significant to the health of participants, their relatives, or other family members, researchers and evaluators should prepare and follow an ethically defensible plan for disclosing or withholding findings. The National Statement addresses this in more detail for laboratory-based and genomic research at Chapters 3.2 and 3.3, and an ethically defensible plan may also be required for research or evaluation with significant social, economic, or psychological implications (NS 3.1.63).
For research outside Chapters 3.2 and 3.3, an ethically defensible plan should (NS 3.1.64):
- Indicate whether the research or evaluation is likely to generate findings of significance to participants or others
- Clarify whether researchers/evaluators intend to disclose findings directly to participants, and which types of findings, if any, are returnable
- Confirm that participants will be advised in advance whether they will be offered the option to receive their findings
- Enable participants to decide whether they wish to receive findings, and who else may receive them
- Where appropriate, set out a process for establishing whether family members wish to receive the information
- Outline how findings will be provided in a manner that is appropriate and accessible
- Identify the relevant expertise of the person who may communicate the findings
- Include measures to protect the level of privacy participants wish to maintain
At the time of consent, participants should be informed of the researchers/evaluators' plans for returning findings, including whether and how they can access a summary of outcomes, and given the option to receive or decline findings (NS 2.2.2, NS 3.1.34, NS 3.1.32).
Individual findings
In some research and evaluation contexts, individual findings, such as test results or clinical measurements, may be relevant to a participant's health or wellbeing. The National Statement addresses the return of individual findings in most detail in the context of genomic research (NS Chapter 3.3). Outside that context, the general principle applies: researchers and evaluators should consider whether individual findings may be significant to participants and establish a process for returning them where appropriate and where participants wish to receive them.
Aggregate findings
In most market research, social research, and evaluation contexts, findings are returned in aggregate form, through reports, publications, or summary materials. Researchers should consider providing accessible summaries of aggregate findings to participant communities where this is practicable and meaningful, consistent with the reciprocity obligations discussed at Dissemination planning. Any outputs disseminated to participants must be in language that is clear and understandable to them (NS 3.1.71).
Related resources
This page was last updated on 16 September 2026.
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This article makes reference to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2025. It is intended as practical guidance and does not constitute legal advice.
AI Disclosure: Resources in this library were prepared using Large Language Models with input from Iris Ethics staff who guided the scope and design. Subsequent revisions and final versions were developed and approved by Iris Ethics staff.