Trigger Warning: How to Take Care

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An anonymous contributor shares their experience with a horribly all too common problem with remote field research: sexual harassment.

Signaling Safety: Characterizing Fieldwork Experiences and Their Implications for Career Trajectories

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This study presents a qualitative analysis of field researchers’ experiences based on interviews, focusing on both positive and negative aspects of conducting academic research in the field. It identifies two main issues: unclear professional behavior guidelines at field sites and difficulties accessing professional resources and opportunities. Respondents reported a lack of consequences for breaches of… Read more »

Mental health in the field

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This article speaks to the importance of mental health in field work and summarizes the factors that impact mental health in the field.

Safety and Belonging in the Field: A Checklist for Educators

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A comprehensive checklist that seeks to make fieldwork a “positive, generative, collective, and valuable experience for all participants.” Written by authors with a wide range of backgrounds and field experiences, this document stresses inclusivity over each step in the fieldwork process, from planning to the return and debrief.

“The show must go on!” Fieldwork, mental health and wellbeing in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

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Fieldwork is central to the identity, culture and history of academic Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES). However, in this paper we recognize that, for many academic staff, field trips can be a profoundly challenging “ordeal,” ill-conducive to wellness or effective pedagogic practice. Drawing on research with 39 UK university-based GEES academics who self-identify as… Read more »

Mental Health and Fieldwork

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Successful fieldwork and fruitful academic careers hinge on acknowledging and managing our mental health. This paper discusses peer-support networks, secondary trauma, coping skills, therapy, and researchers’ mental health options before, during, and after fieldwork.