New BioScience Paper Calls for Social Field Safety to Become a Standard Part of Fieldwork Preparation
September 20, 2026 | FIELD INCLUSIVE
For immediate release
Contact: Murry Burgess; mlb1016@msstate.edu
A new paper published in BioScience is calling on the natural sciences to broaden how the field defines and prepares for safety in fieldwork.
In “Addressing social field safety as a proponent of the natural sciences workplace,” authors Murry L. Burgess, Lauren D. Pharr, and Kayla A. Stukes examine an often-overlooked dimension of fieldwork: the social and psychological risks researchers may encounter while working outdoors and away from traditional workplaces.
The authors define social field safety (SFS) as the prevention, protocols, and resources used to protect fieldworkers from discrimination, prejudice, microaggressions, and mentally or physically unsafe encounters with other people while conducting fieldwork. These concerns can include interactions with law enforcement or hostile property owners, discriminatory language or symbols, inaccessible field environments, sexual harassment or assault, and misconduct involving colleagues, supervisors, collaborators, or members of the public.
Expanding What We Mean by “Field Safety”
Field researchers are routinely trained to prepare for environmental hazards such as severe weather, difficult terrain, wildlife, disease exposure, and emergencies. The authors argue that preparation for interpersonal and socially driven risks has not been incorporated into field safety with the same consistency.
The paper proposes that physical field safety and social field safety should be considered complementary parts of comprehensive fieldwork preparation. Researchers should prepare not only for the physical environment in which they will work, the authors argue, but also for the interpersonal and social environments they may encounter.
“Social field safety asks us to expand the way we think about preparing people for fieldwork. We already recognize that good field preparation means anticipating physical hazards before someone enters the field. Our hope is that preparing for social risks becomes just as routine, not something we only discuss after an incident has already occurred.”
— Dr. Lauren D. Pharr, co-author and Co-Founder of Field Inclusive
The paper particularly considers how these risks can create barriers for fieldworkers from historically excluded or marginalized backgrounds. Drawing from existing research, the authors discuss concerns related to race and ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, religion, disability and accessibility, as well as workplace culture, harassment, gatekeeping, and longstanding traditions surrounding who is expected to participate in field science and how fieldwork is expected to be conducted.
Importantly, the authors emphasize that social field safety is relevant to the broader field community. Addressing these risks can support researcher preparedness and well-being while strengthening communication, trust, participation, and retention within field-based disciplines.
LGBTQ + fieldworker is accosted by two men, one of whom is wearing a shirt with a hateful symbol, (c) a surveyor wearing a hijab is ignored, and (d) a
black birder is singled out and confronted by police. Illustrated by Dameon Williams.
Moving from Awareness to Prevention
Beyond defining the issue, the paper provides recommendations for supervisors, principal investigators, advisors, institutions, and research organizations.
Among the recommendations are incorporating social risks into existing field safety planning; establishing clear expectations for professional conduct; discussing location-specific social and environmental risks before fieldwork begins; ensuring fieldworkers understand reporting procedures and available resources; considering accessibility, cultural, religious, and individual needs during field planning; and providing regular training for those who participate in or supervise fieldwork.
The goal is a shift from reacting to harmful incidents after they occur toward prevention, preparation, professionalism, and shared responsibility.
As Burgess, Pharr, and Stukes conclude, preparing fieldworkers for both physical and social hazards has the potential to reduce barriers to participation, improve well-being and retention, strengthen research teams, and ultimately strengthen field-based science itself.
Research Informed by Field Inclusive
The paper also recognizes the members, volunteers, and collaborators of Field Inclusive, whose ongoing work to advance social field safety informed and inspired many of the ideas presented in the manuscript.
The publication builds upon Field Inclusive’s broader social field safety work, including workshops and resources designed to help field teams move from conversations about safety toward practical preparation and implementation.
Field Inclusive is currently expanding this programming, with additional social field safety workshop offerings and resources planned for 2027.
Read the Paper
Burgess, M. L., Pharr, L. D., & Stukes, K. A. (2026). “Addressing social field safety as a proponent of the natural sciences workplace.” BioScience.
Read the article in BioScience
Read the fully accessible .pdf
Bring Social Field Safety to Your Organization
Field Inclusive offers social field safety programming for universities, field stations, research teams, nonprofits, agencies, professional societies, conferences, and other organizations.
2027 workshop bookings are now open.
Learn more about Field Inclusive workshops
About the Authors
Dr. Murry L. Burgess is an urban ecologist at Mississippi State University whose research examines the effects of anthropogenic stressors on birds.
Dr. Lauren D. Pharr is an avian behavioral ecologist and Assistant Professor of Biology at Wingate University. Her work examines bird behavior and conservation and includes community-engaged research that provides undergraduate research experiences.
Kayla A. Stukes is a PhD student in Forestry at North Carolina State University whose research focuses on land instability and intergenerational cultural transmission among Indigenous and African American communities in the southeastern United States.
About Field Inclusive
Field Inclusive is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting more inclusive outdoor experiences for all. Its work includes community building, educational resources, social field safety programming, workshops, and initiatives designed to support people participating in field-based disciplines.