Laying the Groundwork: A Practical Guide for Ethical Research with Indigenous Communities

Abstract

Although there are numerous ethical guidelines for research with Indigenous communities, not all research is conducted in an ethical, culturally respectful, and effective way. To address this gap, we review four ethical frameworks for research with Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Drawing upon our experiences conducting a transformative social justice research project in five Indigenous communities, we discuss the ethical tensions we have encountered and how we have attempted to address these challenges. Finally, drawing on these experiences, we make recommendations to support those planning to conduct research with Indigenous Peoples in Canada. We discuss the importance of training to highlight the intricacies and nuances of bringing the ethical guidelines to life through co-created research with Indigenous communities.

Keywords

• research ethics
• Indigenous communities
• community-based research