Affirming the AHA's commitment to ethical standards in historical research, the Research Division of the AHA Council submitted a public comment in support of proposed revisions to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects.

Public Statement on Oral History and Human Subjects Regulation
American Historical Association

November 12, 2015  

The US Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies have proposed a rule to exclude oral history from federal regulations designed to protect human subjects. The American Historical Association supports this proposed exclusion and appreciates the department's consideration of self-regulation by historians. Individuals in any discipline who plan to do oral history interviews should follow the practices and ethical codes developed by the Oral History Association (see http://www.oralhistory.org/about/principles-and-practices/). These principles and codes aim to protect the interests of narrators (e.g., by requiring informed consent) while encouraging the creation of invaluable historical records.