Attribution and Publication Standard

Introduction

Attribution & Publication Standard

Effective: August 13, 2026 | Version 1.0

Executive Data Council® is operated by Verivent LLC. Executive Data Council® is a registered trademark of Verivent LLC.

EDC surfaces signal from protected executive exchange. This Standard defines attribution levels, approval requirements, de-identification, validation, sponsor boundaries and correction practices.

Level 1 - Internal Only

Information is retained only for the protected purpose for which it was shared and is not used in external publication, partner-facing output or outreach. A participant may designate a contribution Internal Only before or promptly after it is made.

Level 2 - Anonymized and non-attributable

EDC may use the substance as part of a de-identified synthesis, pattern, question or finding if the output does not identify the person or organization and does not contain a combination of facts that would reasonably expose the source. This is the default EDC research-use level unless a stricter level is stated.

Level 3 - Organization-attributed

EDC may identify an organization while leaving the individual unnamed only after written approval appropriate to the proposed wording, context and channel. If the participant is not authorized to approve employer attribution, EDC must obtain any additional authorization reasonably required.

Level 4 - Named attribution

EDC may identify the individual and, where applicable, the organization only after written approval of the proposed quotation, paraphrase or substantive attribution and intended context.

2. Participant learning vs. EDC publication

Participants may carry generalized learning forward under the Participant Confidentiality Standard. EDC applies an additional research, de-identification, validation and approval process before representing information as EDC intelligence.

3. From contribution to finding

• +Capture only the substance needed to understand the issue and avoid unnecessary identifying detail.
• +De-identify names, affiliations and combinations of facts unless attribution is approved.
• +Compare whether a view is isolated, repeated, contested or context-dependent.
• +Validate through additional executive input, documentary evidence, follow-up or another appropriate method when stronger support is required.
• +Qualify uncertainty, contrary views, sample limitations and scope rather than implying unsupported consensus.
• +Publish only the level of conclusion supported by the evidence and permitted by the applicable attribution level.

4. De-identification and no re-identification

EDC takes reasonable measures to prevent anonymized output from being reasonably linked back to a source. EDC will not intentionally re-identify de-identified research data for commercial exploitation, and recipients of de-identified data may be contractually prohibited from re-identifying it.

5. Quotations and identifiable detail

• +No named quotation or named paraphrase without Level 4 approval.
• +No organization attribution without Level 3 approval.
• +Approval for one use does not automatically authorize materially different wording, context, channel or future reuse.
• +Non-substantive edits for grammar, length or clarity may be made; material changes to approved attribution should be re-approved.

6. Partner funding and editorial independence

• +Commercial support does not purchase a finding, ranking, endorsement or favorable conclusion.
• +Partners may help frame legitimate questions, but EDC retains participant selection, methodology, research treatment and final editorial control.
• +Partners do not receive unrestricted participant data.
• +A supported contrary view will not be suppressed solely because it is commercially inconvenient.
• +A material financial or commercial relationship relevant to an output typically will be disclosed in a reasonably prominent manner.

7. Methodology metadata

Published research should try to, where appropriate, state source type, field/collection period, sample size or sample context, participating roles/sectors, multi-select status, validation date, attribution level and material limitations.

8. Records, approval and retention

EDC will maintain a reasonable record of Level 3 and Level 4 approvals, including the approved wording or substance, approving party, intended channel/use and date. EDC should preserve final approval records for at least three years after the approved use unless a longer period is required, while minimizing unnecessary retention of underlying protected notes.

9. Correction, review and withdrawal

EDC may correct, qualify, reclassify or withdraw an output if it discovers a material error, confidentiality issue, misleading attribution, material methodological limitation or other integrity concern. A participant may request review of potentially identifying content. Withdrawal of a consent will be applied prospectively where reasonably practicable; EDC may retain archival/legal records and cannot always recall materials already lawfully distributed.