Ethical Research in Indigenous Contexts and the practical implementation of it: Guidelines for ethical research versus the practice of research

Indigenous Australians have been widely researched by non - Indigenous Australians which has resulted in the use of inappropriate research methodologies and excluded the involvement, participation and ownership over the research. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed national guidelines for the conduct of research in Indigenous communities. These guidelines have precipitated a change in Indigenous control and involvement over Indigenous research to a large extent, which is long overdue.

This paper examines these guidelines and relates them to the practical experiences of researchers engaged in a school based research project in urban, rural and remote locations. The suitability of the guidelines will be analysed.