Gain Human Subjects (RASCAL) Permission

III. HUMAN SUBJECTS PROTECTION STATEMENT
An essential aspect of ethnographic research is a heightened awareness of and respect for the ethical dilemmas that often plague this sort of work. In what ways, if any, are informants and/or others put at risk as a result of our activities? Where do our responsibilities lie, and to whom (such as fellow students, other ethnographers, anthropologists more generally)? This Statement should be the final (and a separate) part of your research proposal. Please provide thoughtful answers to these. Relevant parts are as follows:

I. Project Overview
1. Project's working title and your name
2. 1 sentence description of project
3. Please describe (briefly) the setting(s) in which the project will be carried out and a brief description of data collection methods that will be used (1 brief paragraph)
4. Human subjects: Who (what types or categories of people) will be your informants? Will any minors be involved? Or any other vulnerable or stigmatized populations? How will you select informants? How will you acquire consent--written or orally? How will you protect their identities? (Two common strategies include the use of pseudonyms for informants and locations, as well as composite descriptions of informants, which take essential elements shared by a number of informants and condense them into one personality.) (1 brief paragraph).
5. Risks: Under what circumstances, if any, might anyone (informants, yourself, your informants' acquaintances, kin, etc.) involved in your research be put at risk? In answering this question, consider both the short- and long-term effects of your research. When, if ever, might informants' names be preserved? How will data collection methods affect this? If there are any potential dangers, what will you do to avoid or eliminate these? (1 brief paragraph)
II. Informed Consent
Please include a 1 paragraph statement that you will use to describe your project to informants. Will this be read aloud or stated to informants, or will they read it themselves? Remember that you must be honest about your intentions; you must also make it clear that all participation is voluntary and that informants have the right to suspend, terminate, or withdraw from the study and/or questioning at any time. They also have the right to refuse to answer any of your questions during the course of the interview. Finally, make it clear that pseudonyms will be used to protect identities. At the end, leave room where you can both sign and date the form or, depending on the nature of your research, where at least you sign and date the form, using a code name for each informant, so that you have a record that informed consent was given. If you will be conducting your research in a language other than English, please provide the statement in the field language, followed by an English translation.
NOTE: You must store these forms in a safe place; you may not conduct an interview if you have not first acquired informed consent.
III. Questionnaire Schedule
Please include a list of questions that you will pose to each informant. If your research is comparative (for example, if you are comparing women and men's experiences and attitudes) make it clear how, if at all, questions may differ for each category.
 

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