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Bioarchaeology International
Volume 8, Numbers 1–2: 1–3
DOI: 10.5744/bi.2023.7101

© 2024 University of Florida Press

The journal, Bioarchaeology International, was founded 
to provide the field with an avenue to publish re-
search that takes a humanistic approach to the study 
of people within a deeply and thoroughly contextual-
ized past (Agarwal and Baker 2020). The papers pub-
lished in this journal explore pressing issues of 
contemporary relevance including health disparities, 
marginalization, structural violence, climate change 
and sustainability, the disproportionate impact of ep-
idemics and pandemics on social groups, and social 
stigma related to disease. The editorial team com-
prises bioarchaeologists who focus on social justice, 
human diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethical princi-
ples in our research (e.g., Agarwal 2022, in press; Baker 
et al. 2001; de la Cova 2012, 2019; Halcrow et al. 2019, 
2021; Robbins Schug et  al. 2021; Watkins 2018). The 
exploration of ethics is also reflected in the papers 
published in the journal (e.g., Kakaliouras 2017) and 
in our profession more broadly (e.g., de la Cova et al. 
2022). We continue to seek and encourage diverse 
voices in authorship, including representation of 
scholars from the Global South and traditionally 
under- represented groups.

Bio archae ol o gi cal ethics is a complex and chal-
lenging topic that is constantly developing. In the 
1990s with NAGPRA, in 2016 with the MeToo move-
ment, and in 2020 with COVID- 19 lockdown, we 
have experienced events that have opened a space for 
culture change. In 2020, we saw heightened aware-
ness in the US of serious issues spotlighted in the 
Black Lives Matter movement. Although some schol-
ars have been describing alternative anti- racist forms 
of bioarchaeology for decades (e.g., Blakey 2008, 
2022), many other scholars were more recently moved 
to think more deeply about ethical issues in the field 
(Geller 2020, 2022; Ruckstuhl et al. 2016; Soluri and 
Agarwal 2022, Squires et al. 2022). Numerous ethical 

statements have been recently developed for associa-
tions in the field of bioarchaeology and closely 
aligned disciplines (e.g., American Anthropological 
Association; Paleopathology Association; and Soci-
ety for American Anthropology [SAA], where the 
Bioarchaeology Interest Group were consulted in the 
2021 revision of SAA’s Statement on the Treatment of 
Human Remains).

Ethical guidelines in research and reporting have 
become more sophisticated as academic disciplines 
evolve and adapt to the sociocultural circumstances 
in which scholars operate. Anthropological ethics are 
context specific. We seek to uphold integrity, mini-
mize any potential harm, and work with and for 
communities in their best interests. Ethics, policy, and 
legislation will vary cross- culturally and over time. 
There are many context- specific considerations, e.g., 
if human remains are held in a country outside their 
origin, a layer of complexity is added to bio archae ol-
o gi cal projects. Typically, projects require permis-
sions from authorities, but ethical practice should 
also prioritize consultation, partnership, and/or col-
laboration with descendant communities and/or lo-
cal communities and researchers. Much of this work 
is unseen in the publication process and it is an inte-
gral part of the bio archae ol o gi cal collaborative re-
search approach and the outreach that many conduct. 
There is also work on the editorial process not visible 
to the readership, which is the focus of this editorial.

Since the inception of Bioarchaeology Interna-
tional in 2016, the co– editors- in- chief and associate 
editors have conducted internal checks on research 
integrity and ethics (including collaboration, consul-
tation, legislation, permissions, plagiarism, etc.). At 
submission, authors must complete a checklist that 
includes adherence to ethical practice in the conduct 
of the research and writing of the article. Our policy 

Editorial: Ethical Guidelines and Policies 
of Bioarchaeology International



Editorial2

on research with Native American ancestral remains 
has become more stringent since 2020. For example, 
while we initially considered manuscripts with 
 historical (non- tribal) permission for data collection, 
we no longer do so. We do not accept or publish any 
research on Native American, First Nations, and/or 
Indigenous communities without recent tribal per-
missions. In instances where manuscripts are sub-
mitted without a permission statement, they are sent 
back to the authors to confirm permissions prior to 
going to review and, if no permissions are forthcom-
ing, these manuscripts are not considered for review. 
Photos of human remains from any context are only 
published when essential to the research questions 
and aims of the paper and with permissions to use 
such images.

Bioarchaeology International was the first inter-
national journal with bio archae ol o gi cal content to 
develop explicit ethical guidelines of consent. This 
requirement is in addition to the existing Ethical 
Standards for Journal Publications for the University 
Press of Florida, which includes responsibilities for ed-
itors, authors, reviewers, and the publisher in general 
publication ethics. In 2020, during COVID- 19 lock-
down, the current co– editors- in- chief and founding 
co– editors- in- chief worked to expand our statements 
of research ethics and consent. These revised state-
ments were adopted in April 2021. The expanded ethics 
statement acknowledges required permissions, specifi-
cally from Native American, First Nations, and/or In-
digenous communities and other local communities 
for research, publication, and the presentation of pho-
tographs of human remains. When the statement was 
put online in April 2021, we moved to encourage the 
publication of an ethics statement in every article, so 
that most papers published from 2022 forward include 
information on the consultation and permissions rele-
vant to the specific work. An ethics statement is now 
required for all papers. Manuscripts submitted to Bio-
archaeology International will not be considered with-
out provision of such a statement.

Moving forward, the field of bioarchaeology and 
the journal will continue to consider our ethical ob-
ligations in new ways, as social consciousness and 
best professional practice develop further. The jour-
nal maintains a goal of meeting ethical obligations 
and adapting to changing circumstances over time. 
For example, there is currently an increased interest 
in the ethics of using historical anatomical skeletal 
collections within biological anthropology and anat-
omy teaching and research. Changes in legislation, 
such as recent amendments of NAGPRA concerning 
the repatriation of “culturally unidentifiable” or un-
provenienced human remains will also influence the 
approaches that bioarchaeologists use. Due to the 
nature of the changing landscape of our field, our 

ethical guidelines at Bioarchaeology International 
are a living document. We will continue to reflect 
upon our practices. The Editorial Board welcomes 
constructive debate and dialogue with bioarchaeolo-
gists and other anthropologists in these endeavours, 
including consideration of manuscripts that engage 
with these issues.

Co- Editors- In- Chief
Siân Halcrow and Gwen Robbins Schug
Founding Co- Editors- In- Chief
Sabrina Agarwal and Brenda Baker

Works Cited

Agarwal, Sabrina C. 2022. The legacy and disposability of brown 
bodies: The bioethics of skeletal anatomy collections from In-
dia. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 177(S73):2. 
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24514.

Agarwal, Sabrina  C. In press. The ethics of anatomical collec-
tions from India. Nature Communications.

Agarwal, Sabrina  C., and Brenda  J. Baker. 2020. From the 
foundation to a vision of the future: A note from the found-
ing editors. Bioarchaeology International 4(3– 4):151– 152. 
DOI: 10.5744/bi.2020.5143.

Baker, Brenda J., Tamara L. Varney, Richard G. Wilkinson, Lisa M.  
Anderson, and Maria  A. Liston. 2001. Repatriation and the 
study of human remains. In The Future of the Past: Archaeologi-
sts, Native Americans, and Repatriation, edited by Tamara Bray.  
Garland, New York, pp. 69– 89. DOI: 10.4324/9780203056004.

Blakey, Michael  L. 2008. An ethical epistemology of publicly 
engaged biocultural research. In Evaluating Multiple Narratives, 
edited by Junko Habu, Clare Fawcett, and John M. Matsunaga.  
Springer, New York, pp. 17– 28. DOI: 10.1007/978- 0- 387- 71825 
- 5_2.

Blakey, Michael  L. 2022. Walking the ancestors home: On the 
road to an ethical human biology. Anthropology Now 
14(1– 2):1– 20. DOI: 10.1080/19428200.2022.2117976.

de la Cova, Carlina. 2012. Patterns of trauma and violence in 
19th- century- born African American and Euro- American fe-
males. International Journal of Paleopathology 2(2– 3):61– 68. 
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2012.09.009.

de la Cova, Carlina. 2019. Marginalized bodies and the con-
struction of the Robert J. Terry anatomical skeletal collection: 
A promised land lost. In Bioarchaeology of Marginalized 
 People, edited by Madeleine L. Mant and Alyson Jaagumägi 
Holland. Elsevier, Cambridge, MA, pp. 133– 155. DOI: 10.1016/
C2017- 0- 02300- 5.

de la Cova, Carlina, Siân Halcrow, and Gwen Robbins Schug. 
2022. AABA/PPA Symposium on ethics in the curation and use 
of human skeletal remains. Presidential Choice Invited Sympo-
sium presented at the 91st  Annual Meeting of the American 
Association of Biological Anthropologists, Denver, CO.

Geller, Pamela  L. 2020. Building nation, becoming object: The 
bio- politics of the Samuel G. Morton Crania Collection. Histor-
ical Archaeology 54(1):52– 70. DOI: 10.1007/s41636- 019- 00218- 3.

Geller, Pamela L. 2022. Without their consent: Handling legacy 
collections and anatomy teaching specimens acquired with-
out informed consent. The FASEB Journal 36(S1). DOI: 
10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.0I623.

Halcrow, Siân, Amber Aranui, Stephanie Halmhofer, Annalisa 
Heppner, Norma Johnson, Kristina Killgrove, and Gwen Rob-
bins Schug. 2021. Moving beyond Weiss and Springer’s Repa-
triation and Erasing the Past: Indigenous values, relationships, 

https://­upf.­com/­ethics.­asp
https://­upf.­com/­ethics.­asp
https://­upf.­com/­ethics.­asp
https://journals.upress.ufl.edu/bioarchaeology/ethics
https://journals.upress.ufl.edu/bioarchaeology/ethics


Editorial 3

and research. International Journal of Cultural Property 
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Halcrow, Siân E., Rebecca Crozier, Kate M. Domett, Thanik Lert-
charnrit, Jennifer S. Newton, Louise G. Shewan, and Stacey M. 
Ward. 2019. Ethical issues of bioarchaeology in Southeast Asia. 
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Kakaliouras, Ann  M. 2017. NAGPRA and repatriation in the 
twenty- first century: Shifting the discourse from benefits to 
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Robbins Schug, Gwen, and Siân Halcrow. 2021. Preface. Bioar-
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Robbins Schug, Gwen, Kristina Killgrove, Alison Atkin, and 
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ment of biological anthropology in New Zealand. In The 
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Soluri, K. Elizabeth, and Sabrina C. Agarwal. 2022. Laboratory 
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