The safety and security of respondents is a priority and measures should be taken to protect respondents. For example, interviewers should not explicitly refer to statements made by one respondent when interviewing another respondent.7 While you should take measures to protect the security of respondents, it is important that you do not offer unrealistic guarantees concerning an individual’s safety.8  Respect your mandate Respect the professional boundaries between you and the respondent. You should not seek to befriend or counsel respondents. However, this does not mean you should treat respondents indifferently: asking about their family, safety, and living conditions can help create a friendly and pleasant atmosphere to carry on the interview without creating any unrealistic expectations. Respondents should never be paid to participate in interviews, although documentation teams should consider covering any travel costs or other incidental expenses incurred by respondents.9 Documentation teams should avoid undertaking to provide financial support to respondents, aside from reimbursing expenses incurred incidental to their participation in the interview. Providing a financial incentive to respondents to participate in an interview may undermine the credibility of their testimony. Nonetheless, respondents may attend the interview expecting relief support even if they are properly briefed about the purpose of the interview. To guard against respondents’ frustration, it is important to clarify that your organization’s work is exclusively research and documentation, not relief assistance. Explaining that the organization refrains from assisting the respondent for reasons of credibility and to avoid a conflict of interest may be helpful. If the respondent asks you for assistance that is not within your professional mandate, you should try to provide a referral to an appropriate organization.10  Confidentiality Preserving the confidentiality of information gained through the documentation process is critical. Breaching confidentiality can put all of the parties involved at risk, including the respondent, anyone named by the respondent, and your organization. Further, it may undermine the credibility of your project and the confidence relevant groups have in your project, and therefore its overall effectiveness.11Key steps to protect the confidentiality of evidence are outlined in Annex B.  Understand the context Before starting your work, make sure you have a sound understanding of the historical, cultural, political, and military context in which you are conducting your work. This includes conducting desk research on the conflict and understanding the communities or sub-communities you are meeting with, including customs, language, religion, history, and family and community structures. For example, communities with particular cultural characteristics may be more likely or willing to talk about certain incidents. Individuals and families from a particular geographic 5