National Association for the Practice of Anthropology
This document’s goal is to offer a set of best practices or lessons learned to show how our discipline can be applied effectively in problem solving. While this information should be especially useful to anthropology faculty and instructors charged with…
Anthropologists working in government, business, and non-profit settings apply their education and training in anthropology to understand people and the problems they face, and to help their organizations and communities develop solutions to those problems. Representing this perspective, the five…
A best practice is a method, technique, or procedure shown by research and experience to produce optimal results or a standard way of doing things based on evidence and common agreement. To date, anthropological best practices have mostly been implicit…
Work for the common good. Although working for the common good is prominent in all anthropological ethical guidelines as well as implicit in anthropological work, it is important to reinforce it. Take an expansive view of work activities and/or potential…
Respect agreements with employers or clients. Anthropologists engaged in practice usually discuss a new activity or project in detail with their supervisors or clients prior to initiation. Once an agreement is reached (sometimes resulting in a signed contract), carry out…
Protect human subjects in research projects. Many of us engage in some form of research, whether foundational, exploratory, experimental, or evaluative. A lynchpin of protection, informed consent obtained from research participants, typically covers issues such as the voluntary nature of…