All guides: Research Integrity: Indigenous Knowledge

Open access book

Community-led research: Walking new pathways together

Edited by Victoria Rawlings, James Flexner, and Lynette Riley.

This open-access ebook considers how researchers and communities can work together and reimagine First Nations knowledge to ensure research remains relevant, sustainable, socially just, and inclusive.

Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Getting started

If you are not Indigenous, do you know what country you live and work on? Visit AIATSIS to explore a Map of Indigenous Australia representing language groups across the continent. An understanding of your local context is critical to good engagement with Indigenous knowledge.

Non-Indigenous researchers need to stop conducting research ‘on’ First Nations communities and instead work ‘with’ them to gain knowledge. The following article published in The Conversation explains how non-Aboriginal researchers can best establish relationships with First Nations people when conducting research in their communities.

‘You can’t just show up and start asking questions’: why researchers need to understand the importance of yarning for First Nations

Ethics and guidelines

AIATSIS

The AIATSIS Act (1989) mandates the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) to provide leadership in the field of ethics and protocols for research related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and collections.

Code of Ethics (AIATSIS)
The AIATSIS Code sets national standards for the ethical and responsible conduct of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research, across all disciplines and methodologies. It is for use by all undertaking, reviewing or funding research, including individuals, universities, governments, industry and community organisations.
Principles for engagement in projects concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (AIATSIS)
The guide is written for non-Indigenous people providing foundational principles for engagement in projects concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Engaging with Traditional Owners (AIATSIS)
A guide to engaging with Traditional Owners using the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

NHMRC

Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities (NHMRC)
Guidelines for researchers and stakeholders provides a set of principles to ensure research is safe, respectful, responsible, high quality and of benefit to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
Keeping research on track II (NHMRC)
A companion guideline that provides advice on how the values and principles of Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities can be put into practice.

Australia Council for the Arts

Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts
This guide provides protocols to prevent the misuse of tangible and intangible First Nations cultural heritage, which are not specifically protected under Australian copyright law. The protocols create pathways for collaborations and creations of new Indigenous works.

Indigenous Evaluation Strategy

Indigenous Evaluation Strategy
The strategy provides a whole-of-government framework for Australian Government agencies to use when selecting, planning, conducting and using evaluations of policies and programs affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Lowitja Institute

Lowitja Institute Ethics Hub
Ethics Hub aims to guide researchers, research participants, community organisations, students and supervisors, and ethics committees through the ethics of undertaking research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Indigenous data

CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance

CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance
The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance guide the appropriate use and reuse of Indigenous data. This set of principles indicates the significant and crucial role of data in advancing Indigenous innovation and self-determination.

Indigenous data sovereignty

Trust in scholarly communications and infrastructure: Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Ruckstuhl, K 2022, 'Trust in scholarly communications and infrastructure: Indigenous Data Sovereignty', Frontiers in research metrics and analysis, vol. 6: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frma.2021.752336/full
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Many Indigenous people have a deep mistrust of research, with some describing research as one of the “dirtiest” words in Indigenous language. The histories and experiences behind such mistrust are long and painful. Given what has been perceived as Indigenous objectification at the hands of largely Anglo-European others for research from which they fail to benefit, many communities now refuse research unless it is undertaken under certain, Indigenous-defined circumstances. Such refusal is a move away from others’ purposes and a move towards autonomy and self-determination. For some, this is a statement of sovereignty and it applies to all areas of endeavour, including the new frontiers of research and the structures that support them, such as datification of knowledge. This article examines data sovereignty from the perspective of Indigenous peoples. While data sovereignty has become a ubiquitous concern, Indigenous data sovereignty arises from contexts specific to Indigenous peoples. The focus of the above article is to provide a brief overview of recent data sovereignty developments, along with the context that lies behind these activities.
Indigenous Data Sovereignty Readiness Assessment and Evaluation Toolkit
This toolkit was designed by the Lowitja Institute, Australia's national institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research and is designed to evaluate the use of Indigenous Data Sovereignty practices (ID-SOV) in research and academic environments. It's goal is to improve individual capabilities and takes a whole-of-organisation approach to embedding ID-SOV practices.

Acknowledgement and citation

‘Indigenous peoples’ rights are, by definition, collective rights… The international community clearly affirms that Indigenous peoples require recognition of their collective rights as peoples to enable them to enjoy human rights.’

United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2013). Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Human Rights System fact sheet No.9/Rev.2.

Academic citation styles generally fit within Western understanding of knowledge creation, and privilege individual or corporate ownership of intellectual property. First Nations people may prioritise collective ownership of knowledge - Nation, Clan, Language Group or Community may therefore need acknowledgement as well, as or instead, of individuals.

There are no universally accepted guidelines so always seek consultation with First Nations individuals or groups you are referencing for their preferred forms of acknowledgement. The following resources might get you started, but they are not definitive.

Acknowledging First Nations sources
The RMIT Open Press Style Guide Sets out guidance for including First Nations Nation, Clan, Community or Language Group within in-text citation and reference list entries, and on using traditional honorifics such as Aunty or Uncle for First Nations Australians.
APA 7th referencing guide: Indigenous knowledge
Southern Cross University
Australian Government Style manual
Guidance on culturally appropriate and respectful language when writing with, for or about First Nations Australians.
Indigenous perspectives and practices: referencing Indigenous materials
University of Tasmania Library. Downloadable guides for APA and Harvard UTS.

Indigenous research engagement

National Research Engagement and Impact Assessment
ARC data portal impact studies, filtered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research.
Yumi Sabe Indigenous Research Exchange
A platform for sharing Indigenous research priorities. The exchange can host your research outputs in a culturally safe environment; make them accessible; protect them through Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) and Indigenous Data Governance (IDG) standards; and connect you with other relevant research.

Library subject guides

Research Integrity