A satirical paper maps nine recurring ways research harms Indigenous communities.

Historically, research has caused real harm to Indigenous Peoples and their communities. Today, national and international initiatives have increased public awareness, making studies far more equitable. Many researchers now rely on buzzwords like collaborative, relational, co-designed, and community-engaged. But these friendly labels do not guarantee that communities hold genuine authority over the studies or the knowledges they share. To highlight this problem, the author creates a satirical guide inspired by Dante's Inferno and Neuroskeptic's Nine Circles of Scientific Hell. The paper maps out nine recurring circles of bad practices. These include tokenistic engagementtokenistic engagementInvolving a community in name only, without giving them real influence or power over the research., late or forced consultation, extractive relationships, treating all Indigenous groups as one culture, advisory groups with no decision-making power, checkbox methods, possessive attitudes toward data, poor knowledge return, and helicopter researchhelicopter researchWhen researchers from outside a community fly in, collect data, and leave without involving or benefiting the community.. The author shows that using warm relational language is never enough if Indigenous communities lack meaningful authority to direct the projects affecting them.

Why it matters

Indigenous communities have been harmed by research for centuries. Even today, projects that claim to be 'co-designed' or 'relational' can still leave communities without real power over their own knowledge. This paper names nine specific failures—from token engagement to helicopter research—so researchers and communities alike can spot them and demand better.

Questions answered