A protocol for researcher safety

Although there is an abundance of literature about how to conduct qualitative research and some consideration of possible threats to researchers' psychological well-being, there is little mention of the personal safety issues that researchers face while in the field. Few researchers have attempted to address the issue of researcher safety as a methodological concern. Consequently, there are minimal guidelines available to researchers to prevent and avoid dangerous incidents in the course of their research. The following is a discussion of the general guidelines for developing a protocol to address the issue of researcher safety in the field. These guidelines have been extrapolated from safety guidelines and policies written for students and clinicians who enter a client's home in their role as health care practitioners, relevant literature in the area of safety for researchers in violent settings, resources such as safety guidelines for employees, and the personal experiences of several researchers.