AAA Statement of Ethics

The American Anthropological Association's (AAA) Statements on Ethics defines the responsibilities of anthropologists working in the field. The statement is designed to protect studied populations from abuse or maltreatment by professional anthropologists.

Responsibility to Those Studied

• The code states that the "anthropologists' paramount responsibility is to those they study." The anthropologist should not do anything to harm the subject population either physically or emotionally. The population should understand what the anthropologist is studying and why. Populations should not continue to be studied if they express a desire for the study to end.

Responsibility to the Public

• Anthropologists must honestly and accurately report all results and make the information available to all. Anthropologists should strive to explain their findings to as broad an audience as possible. Finally, "anthropologists should be honest about their qualifications and cognizant of the limitations of anthropological expertise."

Responsibility to Students

• The code states that "anthropologists should be candid, fair, non-exploitative, and committed to the student's welfare and progress." This requires considering all student opinions regardless of race, gender or ethnicity, mentoring students, teaching well, and evaluating students fairly.

Responsibility to Sponsors and Governments

• Anthropologists should be candid and honest with both sponsors and governments. No anthropologist should agree to funding from either a sponsor or government if a condition of funding forces the anthropologist to neglect her responsibility to any other stakeholder in the research process, such as students or the studied population.