The Arctic Data Center accepts datasets from all disciplines. Inspired by CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) and FAIR Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reproducible), we include a space in the data submission process for researchers to describe their ethical research practices. These statements are published with each dataset, and the purpose of these statements is to promote greater transparency in data collection and to guide other researchers. For more information about the ethical research practices statement, check out this blog.
Information on the Ethical Research Practices Statement
The statements should:
1. Include information regarding any permits or permissions required
2. Be between one paragraph to five paragraphs, depending on the scope and type of project
3. Consider the following ethical considerations, including considering why each consideration is not relevant to your research
This page is designed to offer guidance and provide specific examples of ethical concerns to consider. Researchers should consider ethical concerns under “All Arctic Researchers” as well as concerns specific their discipline.
This page includes ethical considerations for research regarding:
Ethical Considerations for all Arctic Researchers
Research Planning
1. Were any permits required for your research?
2. Was there a code of conduct for the research team decided upon prior to beginning data collection?
3. Was institutional or local permission required for sampling?
4. What impact will your research have on local communities or nearby communities (meaning the nearest community within a 100 mile radius)?
Data Collection
5. Were any local community members involved at any point of the research process, including study site identification, sampling, camp setup, consultation or synthesis?
6. Were the sample sites near or on Indigenous land or communities?
Data Sharing and Publication
7. How were the following concerns accounted for: misrepresentation of results, misrepresentation of experience, plagiarism, improper authorship, or the falsification or data?
8. If this data is intended for publication, are authorship expectations clear for everyone involved?
Other professional ethics can be found here
Archaeological and Paleontological Research
Research Planning
1. Were there any cultural practices relevant to the study site? If yes, how were these practices accounted for by the research methodologies.
Data Collection
2. Did your research include the removal or artifacts?
3. Were there any contingencies made for the excavation and return of samples after cleaning, processing, and analysis?
Data Sharing and Publication
4. Were the samples deposited to a physical repository?
5. Were there any steps taken to account for looting threats? Please explain why or why not?
Human Participation and Sensitive Data
Research Planning
1. Please describe the institutional IRB approval that was required for this research.
2. Was any knowledge provided by community members?
Data Collection
3. Did participants receive compensation for their participation?
4. Were decolonization methods used?
Data Sharing and Publication
5. Have you shared this data with the community or participants involved?
Marines Sciences (e.g. Marine Biology Research)
Research Planning
1. Were any of the study sites or species under federal or local protection?
Data Collection
2. Were endangered, threatened, or otherwise special-status species collected?
3. How were samples collected? Please describe any handling practices used to collect data.
4. What safety measures were in place to keep researchers, research assistants, technicians, etc., out of harms way during research?
5. How were animal care procedures evaluated, and do they follow community norms for organismal care?
Data Sharing and Publication
6. Did the species or study area represent any cultural importance to local communities, or include culturally sensitive information? Please explain how you came to this conclusion and how any cultural sensitivity was accounted for.
Physical Sciences (e.g. Geology, Glaciology, and Ice Research)
Research Planning
1. Was any knowledge provided by community members, including information regarding the study site?
Data Collection
2. What safety measures were in place to keep researchers, research assistants, technicians, etc., out of harms way during research?
3. Were there any impacts to the environment/habitat before, during or after data collection?
Data Sharing and Publication
4. Is there any sensitive information including information on sensitive sites, valuable samples, or culturally sensitive information?
Plant and Soil Research
Research Planning
1. Were any of the study sites protected under local or federal regulation?
2. Was any knowledge provided by nearby community members, including information regarding the study site?
Data Collection
3. Did sample collection result in erosion of soil or other physical damage? If so, how was this addressed?
4. What safety measures were in place to keep researchers, research assistants, technicians, etc., out of harms way during research?
Data Sharing and Publication
5. Do any of the study sites or specimens represent culturally sensitive areas or species? Please explain how you came to this conclusion, and if yes, how was this accounted for?
Spatial Data
Research Planning
1. Were any land permits required for this research?
Data Collection
2. Were any data collected using citizen science or community participation?
3. If yes, were community members compensated for their time and made aware of their data being used and for what purpose?
Data Sharing and Publication
4. If data were ground-truthed, was institutional or local permissions required and/or obtained for land/property access?
5. Have you shared this data with the community or participants involved?
6. If location sensitive data was obtained (endangered/threatened flora & fauna location, archaeological and historical sites, identifiable ships, sensitive spatial information), how were the data desensitized?
Wildlife Sciences (e.g. Ecology and Biology Research)
Research Planning
1. Were any permits required for data sampling?
Data Collection
2. Were endangered, threatened, or otherwise special-status plants or animal species collected?
3. How were samples collected? Please describe any handling practices used to collect data.
4. What safety measures were in place to keep researchers, research assistants, technicians, etc., out of harms way during research?
5. How were animal care procedures evaluated, and do they follow community norms for organismal care?
Data Sharing and Publication
6. Do any of the study sites or specimens represent culturally sensitive areas or species? Please explain how you came to this conclusion, and if yes, how was this accounted for?
This page is a continuous work in progress. If you would like to recommend any additional ethical considerations to add to the page, please email us at support@arcticdata.io