Early Career Scientists

Resources to help ensure safe, inclusive conditions in the field and in the lab:

• Best Practices for LGBTQ+ Inclusion During Ecological Fieldwork: Considering Safety, Cis/Heteronormativity and Structural Barriers
• Doing Fieldwork in a Pandemic
• Field Operations Safety Manual
• Field Research: A Graduate Student’s Guide
• Field Secrets: A Field Guide to Living in the Field
• Mental Health in the Field
• Recreating Wakanda by Promoting Black Excellence in Ecology and Evolution
• Safe Fieldwork Strategies for At-Risk Individuals, Their Supervisors and Institutions
• Safety and Belonging in the Field: A Checklist for Educators
• Safety Guidelines for Fieldwork
• Security Guidelines for Field Research in Complex, Remote and Hazardous Places
• Ten Steps to Protect BIPOC Scholars in the Field

Select resources documenting harassment and discrimination in the field and in the lab:

• Academic Sexual Misconduct Database
• Birding While Black
• Environmental Experiences Have Racial Roots
• Harassment, a Field Study
• Scientists Push Against Barriers to Diversity in the Field Sciences
• Sexual Harassment is Common in Scientific Fieldwork
• Signaling Safety: Characterizing Fieldwork Experiences and Their Implications for Career Trajectories
• Study Digs into Sexual Harassment During Fieldwork
• Survey of Academic Field Experiences (SAFE): Trainees Report Harassment and Assault
• Women Scientists Sexually Harassed While Doing Fieldwork

Addressing harassment, discrimination, and other negative and/or hurtful interactions:

• When taking on a new job, know what policies, processes, and protections are in place regarding sexual harassment, discrimination, unsafe working conditions, bullying, and/or other hurtful/negative interactions. Get copies of these materials; these are just as important as a copy of your contract, so hold on to these and make sure that you have them handy. Request that your supervisor goes specifically over information related to Human Resources (HR) and what resources and services are available.
• If someone harasses you, you must respond. Although difficult, be strong and commit these lines to memory: “Do not talk to me like that; your language is inappropriate” and “Do not touch me; your touch is unwanted.” In the case of an investigation or other inquiry pursuant to harassment, you will be asked if you made it known to the perpetrator that you were not comfortable or that the perpetrator knew that what they did was inappropriate.
• When harassment occurs, document it. Document everything. In the event that an investigation arises in association with a sexual harassment claim, you will absolutely need evidence. If something happens, write it down immediately. Jot it down in an email to yourself and note the date, time, exact quotes (if possible), and the names of any other people that were present during the incident (you might need to contact them in the future to corroborate your own claim). Or, if you receive an email, text, phone voicemail, or other communication from the perpetrator, keep it. Moreover, if you have repeat incidents of sexual harassment (e.g., a colleague continually makes inappropriate, sexual comments to you) from a specific person, record these conversations and comments.
• Report your claims and follow-up with the appropriate chain-of-command. Stick with it. Find the courage and bravery within yourself to face these uncomfortable situations. Demand what is yours: closure, safety, justice. You name it. It’s yours—claim it. For more information, click here.

For additional resources, consult The Fieldwork Initiative and In the Field from ADVANCEGeo.

***If you are facing any form of trauma, violence, or simply don’t feel safe while in the field or anywhere else, get yourself to a safe place as soon as possible. If that is not possible, complete this form via The Fieldwork Initiative so they can help you.