On Interviewing

Anthropology students who are interviewing people for class assignments or senior projects must follow these guidelines, which are essentially matters of common sense and common courtesy.

1. Before beginning any interview, obtain informed consent: make sure that the person you are interviewing understands clearly your purpose for conducting this research, the scope of your research (what other methods you are using to explore your topic), and its ultimate outcome (e.g., a class paper, a senior thesis) and who will read it. Let the person know that participation is totally voluntary. Never cover up or minimize the fact that you are doing research!

2. Students should not put any kind of pressure on the people they are interviewing.

• Remind the informant that they may end the interview at any time.
• Do not press the informant to respond to inquiries that clearly make him/her embarrassed or uncomfortable.

4. If you make an audio or video recording of your interview:

• Obtain permission before turning on the tape/cam-recorder.
• Turn it off immediately if requested to do so; you may ask once per session for permission to turn it on again.
• Tell the subject honestly who will be allowed to see/hear the tape and keep your word. You may not play the tape for anyone but your instructor and the members of your class.
• Tell the subject honestly what you will do with the tape when the project is finished (erase it, give it to the subject, save it for future research). If the subject does not want you to save the tape, promise him or her in writing that you will give the tape to them or to your instructor for erasure, and give a copy of this agreement to the instructor.
• You may not copy the tape without explicit permission from the subject, and any agreement you make about the original tape applies to all of its copies.

• When you write up or discuss your results, and when you label any cassette tapes that will be handed in to the professor, do not use the subject's real name unless they request that you do so. Rather, use a pseudonym. Furthermore, do not include information that could identify the subject (e.g. '40 year old freshman from Coos Bay').
• Keep all your notes out of the hands of casual readers. Keep them out of sight, for instance in a locked drawer, if there is anything in them that is confidential.
• Do not engage in gossip (even with close friends) about the people you are studying.

6. In public places where no reasonable expectation of privacy exists (like malls, parks, streets, and train stations) you may observe what people are doing without consent from individuals. However, be aware of these restrictions:

• In public places you may never engage in the "experimental manipulation of research participants without their knowledge"; in other words, you may NOT test or provoke a person who does not know they are being tested or provoked. You can only interact with people "naturally" as a participant in a social situation.
• You may only interact and converse with people if there is minimal risk of embarrasment, emotional discomfort, or offense for the individuals with whom you are interacting or conversing. Otherwise, refrain from interaction and conversation and simply engage in observation. If you are involved in an important incident or conversation that you wish to record, make every effort to obtain permission post hoc.
• You may not eavesdrop on private conversations that you are not a part of if you have not received informed consent. You may only observe non-verbal behavior.
• You may not pursue or follow particular individuals who walk away from the space where you are making your observations, but must focus only on social activities taking place in a specific space, with the objective of meeting a particular research agenda.
• You may not tape or videorecord activities if there are illegal or sensitive activities taking place or being discussed.

• Explain your research purpose and methods to the group that you will be observing (contact all people individually or address the group as a whole)
• Ask each individual for their permission to observe and record their behavior and conversation.
• Give students your Email and phone number so that individuals can contact you privately to discuss questions and concerns and/or to exclude themselves from the study.
• Individuals who state that they do not want to be observed should not be included in the study!
• If a student opposes the anthropology student's presence, even if (s)he herself is not being observed, then no participant observation can take place in that setting.

9. Keep your research confidential, as outlined in item #4 above.

  

I agree to follow these Ethical Guidelines _________________________________  Date ______________