As researchers, it's important to ensure that the resources we use are relevant to our assignments and the research is conducted in an ethical, respectful, reciprocal and relational manner. When evaluating non-Indigenous research we typically do this with the PARCA test. This stands for Purpose, Authority, Relevance, Currency, and Accuracy.
Use the PARCA test:
1. Purpose – why does this resource exist?
2. Authority – who created this resource?
3. Relevance – does the resource meet your needs?
4. Currency – when was the resource published? Has the information in it changed?
5. Accuracy – is the information in the resource reliable and trustworthy?
By asking yourself questions related to each of these criteria, you can evaluate a source and decide if it's a good fit for your research. Keep in mind that the answers to these questions won't always determine if a source is suitable or not, but they can help you determine how to use it in your research.
The PARCA test is still useful for Indigenous resources however there are additional facets of these questions to consider. Finding Indigenous voices can be difficult in the academic landscape, typically we would be looking for a statement on positionality from the author. Researchers following Indigenous Protocols should have consulted with the community, put reciprocity into practice, and utilized a methodology that equalizes the power dynamic. Intellectual property and attribution should also be given to the community.
To see the video transcript, click on this link to the video on Youtube, and click on the three dots underneath the video. Then, click "show transcript".