Non-Disclosure Agreements for Research Participants
If we share confidential information within a research study, as described in the GitLab Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, we may ask participants to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). This is most common when testing features that are not yet publicly available. In most cases, however, an NDA is not required.
Whether a participant needs to sign an NDA, also depends on their relationship with GitLab:
- GitLab users typically do not need to sign an NDA, as their existing contracts with GitLab already cover confidentiality obligations. However, any confidential material shared during the session should still be clearly marked or communicated as confidential.
- non-GitLab users participating in a study where confidential information is shared will need to sign an NDA.
If an NDA is required, or if you’re unsure whether your study needs one, reach out in the #research_operations Slack channel to get the process started. The team can also help you determine which participants need to sign.
NDAs must be signed by both the participant and a member of GitLab’s legal team. If an NDA is needed, please provide the Research Operations team with a project title and a brief description of the research — these will be used to create the NDA template. The Research Operations team will then:
- Set up a spreadsheet to track which participants need to sign.
- Create the NDA template and post in #legal for a review and signature.
- Create and send the pre-signed NDA envelope to participants via DocuSign.
- Once signed, save the signed NDA(s) to the NDA folder in the UX Research Google Drive. Create a new subfolder labelled with the month, year, and project name (for example,
April 2026 - Project Name) and store the associated signed NDAs there.
When a participant is invited to sign via DocuSign, your name and email will be included as View Only, so you’ll receive a notification when they complete it — useful if the Research Operations team is unavailable.
It is the responsibility of the person conducting the research to confirm that all participants have signed their NDA before the session begins. If an NDA has not been signed by all parties, the session will need to be rescheduled.
Participants have the right to refuse to sign an NDA. If a participant chooses not to sign, they will not be able to take part in the study.
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