Compliance
Information
ISO Certificates
Compliance at M3
Our focus on compliance has led to the award of the ISO 20252 standard for our physician panel, confirming our dedication to delivering high quality data which goes beyond basic guidelines. Privacy and data protection are key principles of this
commitment, underpinned by legal requirements including GDPR obligations. Internationally recognsided, ISO 20252:2019 (market, opinion, and social research) is a comprehensive framework that supports best practice and effectiveness, and its award helps clients assess and choose suppliers of access panels with confidence.
As part of the M3 group we operate with the transparency required of a publicly-traded company. We are audited annually by PwC, and are proud to hold ISO 27001 certification, evidencing our commitment to stringent information security. The scale of our proprietary panels reflects our commitment to quality; our outsourcing of completes is an industry-leading low of only 2%.
Certified Quality
M3 Global Research is certified to ISO 20252:2019 for organisations conducting market, opinion and social research. This certification covers the operation and management of healthcare projects in the USA and Europe to ensure data quality to clients.
M3 Global Research’s operations are ISO 27001 certified in both the US and UK. ISO/IEC 27001 is an internationally recognised program that requires an organisation to implement and maintain a structured information security and data governance framework.
This privacy-focused certification demonstrates our dedication to protecting personal data and complying with global privacy regulations, further enhancing our data privacy management protocols.
M3 Global Research has been Data Quality Certified by Imperium. Imperium is the leading provider of data quality and anti-fraud solutions to the marketing research industry and beyond.
ESOMAR 37 Questions
Company Profile
Sample Sources and Recruitment
As M3 operates globally, we have established an international network of trusted partners. All sub-contractors used by M3 have undergone M3's documented vetting process as stipulated under ISO 20252, and M3’s own company standards.
M3 Global Research follows an extensive partner vetting process, which meets ISO 20252 standard requirements. All partners are carefully selected to ensure all recruiting parties provide the best possible service to the clients. Partners are reviewed by project staff on each project as well as regularly audited by M3 Global Research’s dedicated team.
M3 Global Research notifies clients in advance when third party providers are used.
M3 Global Research transparently advises its clients on the recruitment methodologies planned for each project.
M3 Global Research has in-house capabilities for telephone recruitment across its locations, spanning over 10 markets. In addition, M3 Global Research works with trusted local partners, educating them on all relevant quality standards, and works with these partners to engage hard-to-reach audiences.
We implement an array of initiatives aimed at eradicating respondent fraud so that you have access to the highest-quality survey data. Our multi-pronged approach includes:
- De-duplication of records
- Manual verification of panel members’ credentials
- Photo ID and Google’s ReCAPTCHA
Vendors are selected through referrals, trade shows, or internal research. Vendors must meet internal pre-determined qualifications and pass all compliance, assessment, testing and legal review before onboarding. Vendors should be listed in at least one accredited market research directory, and adhere to M3 Global Research’s operating standards. Vendors must pass GDPR / privacy / security guidelines, agree to M3 Global Research’s Master Service agreement, and Modern Slavery sign off agreement. In addition, the following information is collected if initial criteria and needs are met:
- Panel counts and / or specialty panel information
- Company overview (marketing materials)
- ESOMAR 37 questions
- Quality processes, online fraud detection system / software in place
- System requirements (redirect requirements)
- Most relevant contact information
- Name and email addresses for 2-3 contacts that we can reach out to as a background / quality / reference check
Vendors are evaluated at the end of each project, quarterly, and through M3’s yearly ISO audit. Their performance score / rating is tracked in an internal system and shared with the vendor during quarterly review meetings or on adhoc basis if there is a performance related issue. Issues are addressed with M3’s Global Partner Management team in collaboration with operations and / or sales teams.
Sampling and Project Management
An audience is selected and invited through M3’s proprietary sampling system. Respondents are invited to take part via email and can log in to their M3 accounts to access surveys they have been invited to via their market research dashboard. For mobile-enabled surveys, a text message invitation can be considered.
The process of audience selection and invitation is handled primarily by an M3 project manager who has undergone training and has a clear best practice manual to follow.
For qualitative studies, respondents may also be called directly, given they have consented to this.
All invitations follow a template that meets industry standards – this includes:
- Subject and purpose of the survey
- Methodology and approach
- Location and duration of fieldwork
- Date and time of fieldwork
- Reimbursement offered – both the nature and the rate of remuneration
- Adverse event and product complaint reporting obligations if appropriate
- Option to unsubscribe (for online invitations)
- Links to M3 Global Research privacy policy and terms of use (for online invitations)
- Contact details for M3 Global Research’s dedicated support team
Basic information required for verification of HCPs under M3 Global Research’s ISO 20252 certification:
- Name (first, last)
- Country
- Email address
- Mailing address
- Profession
- Medical specialty
- ME / DEA number or country equivalent
- Age
Secondary profiling questions are also asked, but not required. The following information is collected as secondary profiler questions, which allows for better targeted invitations for market research studies and is included for HCPs:
- Secondary profession
- Secondary specialty
- Employment type
- Number of beds in hospital
- Type of practice
- Role in current place of employment
- Board certification year (if applicable)
- Year of graduation
- Percent of patients covered by different types of insurance
- Number of patients seen per month
- Highest level of education
- Location of employment
- Gender
- Languages spoken
- Willingness to take part in different types of research
Profiling data differs based on the target group, such as between HCPs and patients. All M3 Global Research members can update their user data and answers to profiling questions at any time by logging in to their M3 Global Research account. Prompts to update their profile are sent regularly, and they are frequently presented with profiling questions at the end of surveys.
- Study topic
- Physician or HCP specialty / subspecialty
- Sample size
- Disease state or other survey target
- Countries (or other geographies) involved
- Type of interview (online, phone, face-to-face, etc.)
- Length of survey
- Estimated incidence
- Expected fielding timeline
We also use historical project data to make feasibility estimates, analysing previous response rates and quotas to predict future feasibility in similar target audiences.
M3 Global Research follows an extensive partner vetting process, which meets ISO 20252 international standard requirements. All partners are carefully selected and comply with the standard as well, to ensure all recruiting parties provide the best possible service to the clients. Partners are reviewed by project staff on each project as well as regularly audited by M3 Global Research’s dedicated team, with details shared with the buyer.
M3 Global Research also issues certificates of compliance to clients after completion of each project.
Upon clients’ requests, M3 Global Research may provide the number of respondents who started a survey, number of respondents who screened out, number of respondents who went over quota, number of completes, and average length of interview, as well as other reasonable data requested by M3’s clients, with the exception of personal data.
Data Quality and Validation
Specific targeted reminders on individual surveys via email or telephone are decided upon by the M3 Global Research project manager with regard to frequency, which will be appropriate to the specific project.
M3 Global Research’s proprietary sampling system allows for inclusion or exclusion based on a number of factors, including time lapsed since their last participation. Any such limitations are carefully discussed between M3 Global Research and its clients, particularly with niche target groups, as exclusion based on recent participation could influence feasibility and possible sample sizes.
We have robust tools in place to manage duplicate attempts at survey participation. We employ RelevantID flags based on device digital watermarking and fingerprinting to ensure that no one is able to participate in a survey more than once.
All M3 panel members are verified prior to any participation in research which includes verifying physicians’ medical specialty as required by our ISO 20252 certification, as well as verifying their mobile phone number. We may also include additional verification steps for individual projects, such as desk research, or for medication verification for patients on individual projects.
M3 Global Research also uses technology safeguards to protect us against fraudulent respondents, such as relevantID™, fraud score capabilities, and anti-bot technologies.
All clients are informed if fraudulent responders are discovered, and they are replaced at no cost to the client.
At the start of survey there are validity checks (technological safeguards against fraudulent respondents, such as relevantID™, fraud score capabilities, and anti-bot technologies) that could potentially block member from taking survey if checks fail.
M3 Global Research monitors status of quality over time and if members reach a certain threshold of quality checks, we will try to either re-educate members on survey taking skills or remove them from the panel altogether.
- Speeding
- Flatlining
- Poor open-end responses
- Inconsistent answers
- ‘Red herring’ responses
- Data is centralised and incentive payments are blocked
- Reinforced with scripted data checks customised for each project
Policies and Compliance
M3 Global Research considers the privacy of its users to be of utmost importance and works to protect it. M3 Global Research’s privacy policy is readily available and links to M3’s privacy policy are included on the registration page, on the website, and in invitation letters.
We use various resources, webinars and legal advice to ensure we keep up to date on latest developments in data protection legislation in the jurisdictions we operate in.
We maintain a suite of policies and procedures including but not limited to data retention, data subject rights, sharing personal data including international transfers, and privacy policies.
Additionally, M3 Global Research is ISO 27001 certified. This is an internationally recognised standard that requires organisations to implement, maintain, and continuously improve a structured information security and data governance framework. The guiding principles are designed to preserve the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data within our information systems. The framework includes 114 comprehensive information security control requirements developed for data protection and data security. This certification demonstrates M3’s capability to provide an ongoing and systematic approach of managing and protecting company and customer data. Compliance with this standard is independently audited by a qualified third party and is continuously monitored by our IT internal audit staff that measures our ability to meet or exceed the control requirements. In 2024, M3 Global Research will also certify to the ISO 27701 standard, an extension to ISO 27001 for privacy information management.
Our privacy policy comprehensively outlines how data is processed, stored, the procedure for filing complaints, and how to contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO). When subcontracting recruitment, we ensure that subcontractors, who are vetted and preapproved, allow their panelists to exercise their rights to the same extent we provide ours.
For any other respondents, before participating in a project, they are presented with the privacy policy, terms and conditions, and contact details for addressing any rights or lodging any complaints. In all electronic communications, M3 includes an opt-out link, ensuring if requested, prompt removal of individuals from future communications.
Whenever M3 Global Research designs or implements new technology which would result in either the processing of additional personal data or using for a new purpose, a Data Protection Impact Assessment is completed to assess and mitigate any risks, thus considering data protection and privacy issues upfront in everything we do.
M3 Global Research uses industry standard technical and organisational measures (TOM) to protect data safety. Some of the TOMs used are pseudonymisation and anonymisation of personal data, end to end encryption of data in transit and at rest, minimisation of the personal data processed, and access to personal data based on a ‘least privileged approach’. We also ensure measures are in place to safeguard the ongoing confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of processing systems and services.
Additionally, M3 Global Research is ISO 27001 certified. This is an internationally recognised standard that requires an organisation to implement, maintain, and continuously improve a structured information security and data governance framework.
Metrics
- Average qualifying or completion rate, trended by month
- Percent of paid completes rejected per month/project, trended by month
- Percent of members/accounts removed/quarantined, trended by month
- Percent of paid completes from 0-3 months tenure, trended by month
- Percent of paid completes from smartphones, trended by month
- Percent of paid completes from owned/branded member relationships versus intercept participants, trended by month
- Average number of dispositions (survey attempts, screenouts, and completes) per member, trended by month (potentially by cohort)
- Average number of paid completes per member, trended by month (potentially by cohort)
- Active unique participants in the last 30 days
- Active unique 18-24 male participants in the last 30 days
- Maximum feasibility in a specific country with nat rep quotas, seven days in field, 100% incidence, 10-minute interview
- Percent of quotas that reached full quota at time of delivery, trended by month