Institutional Review Board
(IRB)
Office of Regulatory & Research Compliance
MSC 309 - (Phone) 442-9050 (Fax) 437-3855
orrc@albany.edu
Version 11.01.13
ORAL HISTORY OR ETHNOGRAPHIC/NATURALISTIC RESEARCH
(DO NOT LEAVE ANY QUESTIONS BLANK, INDICATE N/A WHEN NECESSARY)
Please answer just those questions applicable to your research.
1. Describe the kinds of people who will be asked to participate in the research. If there
are different groups or categories of people, the groups and the approximate number
of participants in each group anticipated to be enrolled must be described.
2. Describe the types of questions that you will ask your participants:
3. Will you attempt to generalize the findings of your research?

Yes*
No
If YES, please explain:
4. Describe the length of time to be spent at the field site(s). If unsure, an approximate
length of time should be provided (e.g., one year, two summer months, etc).
5. Has the researcher conducted research at this site or with the population previously? If
so, briefly describe the topics and duration of your previous research.
6. Explain where the research will be conducted and explain why this particular research
setting was chosen.
7. Is local governmental or community permission to conduct research required at any of
the sites? Is so, explain how you will obtain this permission. If there is formal
documentation of this permission, attach it to the application form or indicate when it will
be received and forward to the IRB.
8. Describe how you will find out how people in this setting feel about the fact that you will
write articles about them. Will you consult with the people from whom you collected data
before you publish?
9. Are any portions of the research material you may collect not publicly available and
expected by community standards to be private?
Yes
No
IF YES, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE MATERIALS THAT ARE PRIVATE AND EXPLAIN:
a) How you will store the private information or materials while you are in
the field so that the confidentiality of the data is protected.
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b) How you will store the private information or materials after you leave
the field so that confidentiality is protected.
c) Whether you will collect information that could lead to identification of
the research site and explain any negative consequences this could
have.
d) If you will record any direct participant identifiers (such as names or
contact information) that could be linked to the private research
material.
10. If you will record identifiers explain why and describe how you will protect against
disclosure of this information or explain why this is not necessary.
11. The IRB acknowledges that sometimes it is not possible or desirable to maintain
anonymity. For example, when a researcher works with a small group of people only
found in a particular region with whom others have worked. In order to advance
ethnographic knowledge about the group, their identity must be made known.
Sometime individuals or whole communities do not want to remain anonymous. If this is
the case, please describe why. If there are differences in the community about this,
describe how this will be handled.
12. Identify who is responsible for giving consent in the research setting (for instance, if a
tribal council or community leader provides consent for the entire group). Sometimes the
consent process can be multi-layered in community settings. Be sure to describe what
the full process is in the setting in which the research will take place.
13. Describe how you will handle situations in which group consent is provided, but
individuals do not want to participate and vice versa.
14. Describe how people in this setting will let you know if they do not want to talk with
you.
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