Questions (and preliminary answers) about
Informed Consent in SIL-PNG contexts
Is the process of getting consent ethical?
How can we communicate to language communities & individuals in a way that
helps them make decisions that are actually informed and in their best
interest, rather than ours?
• What language should the explanation be presented in? Vernacular, English, Tok Pisin
• How do we explain archiving, open access, and the Internet?
• If an individual can’t be expected to actually understand these things, is it OK that they trust us
personally?
• How do we explain that they have rights regarding the recordings and materials they create?
• How do people give consent, culturally? Is a signature just too alien to mean anything?
Is it future-proof?
How can the permissions-related artifacts withstand scrutiny both now and in
the future, against evolving legal and ethical standards?
• Does the explanation require an English translation in order for outsiders to understand what
was agreed upon?
• The goal of LD is very long-term access. How can we word the permission so that the material
isn’t limited to the kinds of repositories/uses we know about today, but will be usable in
tomorrow’s environment as well?
• Are there innovative ways that we can work within PNG culture to get these permissions, but
that are still acceptable to the outside world?
• Are there other ethical and legal issues that we can foresee and protect ourselves from?
Methods
What are some ways that researchers can practically go about getting the
permissions that they need for the data they are collecting?
• Should a researcher address the fact that he will not receive money from the endeavor, or does
the introduction of this topic create suspicion that isn’t otherwise there?
• What medium? Written, audio, video, or a combination?
• A researcher may use an informed consent notebook with all of the relevant questions to aid
him in getting all the information he needs
Ryan Pennington and John Hatton, Synergy 27 April, 2011
Informed Consent in SIL-PNG contexts
Is the process of getting consent ethical?
How can we communicate to language communities & individuals in a way that
helps them make decisions that are actually informed and in their best
interest, rather than ours?
• What language should the explanation be presented in? Vernacular, English, Tok Pisin
• How do we explain archiving, open access, and the Internet?
• If an individual can’t be expected to actually understand these things, is it OK that they trust us
personally?
• How do we explain that they have rights regarding the recordings and materials they create?
• How do people give consent, culturally? Is a signature just too alien to mean anything?
Is it future-proof?
How can the permissions-related artifacts withstand scrutiny both now and in
the future, against evolving legal and ethical standards?
• Does the explanation require an English translation in order for outsiders to understand what
was agreed upon?
• The goal of LD is very long-term access. How can we word the permission so that the material
isn’t limited to the kinds of repositories/uses we know about today, but will be usable in
tomorrow’s environment as well?
• Are there innovative ways that we can work within PNG culture to get these permissions, but
that are still acceptable to the outside world?
• Are there other ethical and legal issues that we can foresee and protect ourselves from?
Methods
What are some ways that researchers can practically go about getting the
permissions that they need for the data they are collecting?
• Should a researcher address the fact that he will not receive money from the endeavor, or does
the introduction of this topic create suspicion that isn’t otherwise there?
• What medium? Written, audio, video, or a combination?
• A researcher may use an informed consent notebook with all of the relevant questions to aid
him in getting all the information he needs
Ryan Pennington and John Hatton, Synergy 27 April, 2011
