Comparing Tribal Research and SpecimensPolicies: Models, Practices, and PrinciplesJessica BardillEast Carolina University, USA, jessi.bardill@gmail.comRecommended CitationBardill, J. (2017). Comparing Tribal Research and Specimens Policies: Models, Practices, and Principles.The International IndigenousPolicy Journal,8(4).DOI:10.18584/iipj.2017.8.4.4

Abstract

This article reviews a range of tribal policies regarding the proper solicitation, collection, disposition, andreturn or disposal of biological samples, or biospecimens, which include not only the sample itself but alsodata, such as genetic information, derived from the sample. These policies are not always found within tribalregulation, and many that exist emerge from a discrete set of models, such as from the American Indian LawCenter (AILC), the Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR), and the Indigenous Peoples Council onBiocolonialism (IPCB). Some policies merge language from these national models and conceptual paperswith tribally specific foci, including incorporating tribal language for specific principles to guide research withthat community and their biospecimens. The article concludes with recommendations for principles thatemerge as paramount in the review for directing research involving biospecimens.