These principles are not separate, but form a reasonable framework for responsible conduct of research. When conducting research or pursuing professional activities in Africa, members of the Association shall seek to be conscious of and to minimize the potential risks in the present and future which their research may pose for those who participate or are being studied. Responsible conduct necessitates that the researcher be well-informed about the wider political, cultural, economic, religious, and social contexts of the research in order to ensure that the research will not put collaborators, research subjects, students, or assistants at risk of any kind. Researchers should respect the integrity, morality, and traditions of the people they study. Researchers should commit themselves to the most ethical practices in the conduct of responsible research and, as far as possible, to respect prevailing local practices of hiring, training, and using assistants and subjects.
Researchers also commit themselves to pursue non-discriminatory practices whenever possible.
Open and Full Disclosure of Objectives, Sources of Funding, Methods, and Anticipated Outcomes Members of the Association are committed to open and full disclosure of the research to all cooperating African colleagues and institutions, all graduate and field assistants, and the subjects we study. Each of these should have full access to the objectives of the research, the sources of funding, the methods to be employed, and the anticipated outcomes of the research. Because the findings of our research or recommendations drawn from it may affect the interests of the peoples and communities we study, members of the Association should be conscious of the potential uses and abuses of the research data, the interests of the sponsors and funders of the research, as well as any third parties who may have access to the findings or data. When we engage in research in Africa, we shall notify our African colleagues of the sponsors, funders, and potential uses intended for the information to be collected. We shall not engage in any research which we know or believe to be funded secretly, is likely to be used for covert purposes, or to have potentially negative consequences for our colleagues.