Beginning in January 2019, oral history projects usually fall outside of the purview of the Kenyon College IRB. However, Kenyon believes ethics and ethical principles should govern all of our educational and research activities.
Ethical considerations apply to all oral history projects and should continue throughout the course of the project: from the first contact with an interviewee to preserving, sharing and disseminating the results of interviews.
EXCLUDED ORAL HISTORIES
If the intent is to interview subjects/informants who have a unique perspective on a particular historical event or way of life and/or the investigator intends to let the informants' stories stand on their own as a "testimony" or in an archive, with no further analysis, the research may be considered Oral History that is excluded from IRB review. The Kenyon College IRB has determined that this research would not constitute "research" as defined in 45 CFR 46.102(l). Nevertheless, the treatment of participants in Oral History Research must conform to the standards of the Oral History Association.
NOT EXCLUDED
If unlike in projects described above, the investigator conducts the surveys or interviews with the intention of comparing, contrasting or establishing commonalities between different segments or among members of the same segment, it is clear that the investigator will draw generalized conclusions from the results. This type of research is not excluded from IRB review. Because such research is designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge (e.g., designed to draw conclusions, inform policy or generalize findings), the Kenyon College IRB has determined that it would constitute "research" as defined in 45 CFR 46.102(l). For example, knowledge gained from a study may be applied to populations outside of the specific study population. If your project falls into this category, please complete an application for IRB review. IRB forms.
Legalities and Ethics of Oral History
Information about the legalities and ethics of oral history practice is available for download from the Oral History Association. Read the information carefully before you begin your project to avoid the legal dilemmas.
Education of Oral Historians
Kenyon College faculty, students and staff members participating in an oral history project should educate themselves with the principles and guidelines of the Oral History Association and any other professional association for the discipline your project might fall under. If you are planning, or think that you might want to, publish your project, be sure to check with likely publications/publishers/archives for their policies for acceptance of oral histories. (ethical review, certification, consent, deed of gift, etc.)
Kenyon help and guidance with oral histories are available through Digital Kenyon.
see INSTRUCTIONS, FORMS, AND TOOLKITS
To learn more about the oral history resources and support Kenyon offers
Contact: Digital Initiatives Librarian Jenna Nolt
40-427-5698 or noltj@kenyon.edu
Interviewing
See the IRB Interviews page for information on interviewing.
Information on IRBs and Oral History
IRB - The Belmont Report sets forth the basic ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects in research. This was issued by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, April 18, 1979. The basic principles informing the guidelines are respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.
You should take Human Subjects Protection Training - CITI Course
OHA Principals and Best Practices
Oral History Review
Best Practices for Oral History
(from The Oral History Association, edited - read original)
Pre-Interview
- First time interviewers and others involved in oral history projects should seek training to prepare themselves for all stages of the oral history process.
- Make contact with an appropriate repository that has the capacity to preserve the oral histories and make them accessible to the public.
- Choose potential narrators based on the relevance of their experiences to the subject at hand.
- Conduct background research on the person, topic, and larger context in both primary and secondary sources
- Send an introductory letter outlining the general focus and purpose of the interview, and then follow-up with either a phone call or a return email.
- Schedule a non-recorded meeting to allow an exchange of information between interviewer and narrator on possible questions/topics, reasons for conducting the interview, the process that will be involved, and the need for informed consent and legal release forms.
- Use the best digital recording equipment within their means to reproduce the narrator’s voice accurately and, if appropriate, other sounds as well as visual images. Become familiar with the equipment and be knowledgeable about its function.
- Prepare an outline of interview topics and questions to use as a guide to the recorded dialogue.
Interview
- The interview should be conducted in a quiet room with minimal background noises and possible distractions.
- Record a “lead” at the beginning of each session to help focus his or her and the narrator’s thoughts to each session’s goals.
- Agree to the approximate length of the interview in advance.
- Ask creative and probing questions and listen to the answers to ask better follow-up questions.
- Secure a release form, by which the narrator transfers his or her rights to the interview to the repository or designated body.
Post Interview
- Understand that appropriate care and storage of original recordings begins immediately after their creation.
- Document preparation and methods, including the circumstances of the interviews and provide that information to whatever repository will be preserving and providing access to the interview.
- Information deemed relevant for the interpretation of the oral history by future users should be collected, and archivists should make clear to users the availability and connection of these materials to the recorded interview.
- Recordings of the interviews should be stored, processed, refreshed and accessed according to established archival standards designated for the media format used. All efforts should be made to preserve electronic files in formats that are cross platform and nonproprietary. The obsolescence of all media formats should be assumed and planned for.
- Repositories should make transcriptions, indexes, time tags, detailed descriptions or other written guides to the contents.
- Institutions should honor the stipulations of prior agreements made with the interviewers or sponsoring institutions.
- The repository should comply to the extent to which it is aware with the letter and spirit of the interviewee’s agreement with the interviewer and sponsoring institution.
- All those who use oral history interviews should strive for intellectual honesty and the best application of the skills of their discipline. They should avoid stereotypes, misrepresentations, and manipulations of the narrator’s words. This includes foremost striving to retain the integrity of the narrator’s perspective, recognizing the subjectivity of the interview, and interpreting and contextualizing the narrative according to the professional standards of the applicable scholarly disciplines. Finally, if a project deals with community history, the interviewer should be sensitive to the community, taking care not to reinforce thoughtless stereotypes. Interviewers should strive to make the interviews accessible to the community and where appropriate to include representatives of the community in public programs or presentations of the oral history material.