The accreditation means that Google UK has agreed to uphold the ethical data collection standards set by MRS.

All employees within the company’s research, analytics, evaluation and insight team must adhere to the principles of best practice research outlined in both the MRS Code of Conduct and MRS Quality Commitment.

As part of the partnership, Google and MRS will also develop a joint training programme on experimental marketing, helping companies to use randomly controlled experiments within their marketing evaluation.  

Jane Frost, chief executive of MRS, said: "The MRS Code of Conduct brings vital discipline to our expanding data community and is a quality mark for customers and participants alike.

"MRS is widely recognised for its ethics, policy and professional standards expertise and we are delighted to be working with Google UK’s research, analytics, evaluation and insight team as it joins the ranks of more than 500 MRS Company Partners. By taking the necessary steps to raise standards and making a commitment to quality research, the Google UK team will not only build a reputation as a trusted company but place itself at the front of the queue for government and business commissions."

Harry Davies, head of measurement, Google UK, added: "We are pleased to become accredited as an MRS Company Partner. We look forward to working closely with the industry as clients and suppliers of research and evaluation. MRS is at the forefront of making the business case for research and ensuring that it is done in a trustworthy and transparent way."