1. Purpose & Scope

      This policy governs the collection, processing, and reporting of data by all investigators during FLL fieldwork immersion. Our goal is to ensure that research            regarding ground realities – such as the Port projects, Mining, River Diversion or any developmental project – is conducted without harm to the communities or        the environments or projects being studied.

2. Informed Consent & Participant Privacy

• Voluntary Participation: Investigators must clearly explain the purpose of their data collection to local community members. No individual should be coerced into providing information.
• Right to Anonymity: When documenting social hubs or livelihoods (e.g., fish-drying patches, households, etc.,), investigators must respect requests for anonymity. Names of local residents should not be included in Field Validated Analysis Reports (FVAR) unless explicit permission is granted.
• Audio-Visual Documentation: Audio recordings of interviews, Photographs and videos of individuals may only be taken with verbal consent. Avoid capturing images of children or private domestic spaces without legal guardian approval.

3. Integrity of Ground Reality (The FVAR Standard)

• Field Verification: The core of the FVAR is that it is field-validated. Investigators are strictly prohibited from fabricating GPS logs, time-punches, or interview data.
• Objectivity: While FLL emphasizes pedagogical immersion, reports must remain objective. Observations should be clearly distinguished from personal opinions or advocacy.
• Data Accuracy: Spatial data collected via traditional methods, digital toolsets and apps must be double-checked for accuracy before submission to the FLL Archive.

4. Respect for the “Commons”

• Livelihood Protection: Research activities must not interfere with the daily socio-cultural and economic activities of the community. Do not obstruct pedestrian paths, public/private roads and infrastructure, residential, socio-religious, community, and commercial buildings, local work/occupational areas, or project development operations.
• Environmental Stewardship: Fieldwork is “leave-no-trace.” Investigators must not disturb the ecological sites being mapped or leave physical markers/waste behind.

5. Intellectual Property & Digital Archiving

• Ownership: Data collected during FLL sessions is co-owned by the Field Literacy Lab and the investigator for academic purposes.
• Authorized Access: Access to the FLL Archival Portal, student and institutional dashboards is restricted. Sharing login credentials or raw data with unauthorized third parties is a violation of professional ethics.
• Attribution: All FVARs must properly cite secondary sources, government reports, and FLL-provided baseline data to avoid plagiarism.
• Data Sharing: Sharing of Data with any individual or institution or agency is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent from FLL.
• Indemnity: Investigators will completely indemnify Field Literacy Lab for any loss or damage – human, socioeconomic, environmental, or ecological – caused by them while on the fieldwork site and during data collection activities.

6. Accountability

      Failure to adhere to these ethics may result in:

• Rejection of the Field Validated Analysis Report (FVAR).
• Revocation of the FLL Fieldwork Participation Certificate.
• Restricted access to future FLL fieldwork streams.
• No refund will be done, either partly or fully, for any nonadherence to these ethics.