Fieldwork: planning, safety and choice

  • Field trips are often the best part of an ecology course, but they can lead to cognitive overload or sensory fatigue, and may require substantial social navigation in unfamiliar settings. We hope this advice helps you to prepare.
  • Ask at least three weeks ahead for a pre-trip information pack, covering schedule, distances/terrain, site photos/maps, weather links, what to bring, assessment expectations, and emergency/safety contacts.
  • Self-prep regardless: snacks/meds plan; menstruation kit/sensory kit; power bank (Practice aligned with inclusive field planning; RGS, 2023). You may not have internet in the field, so before you leave, download any apps/content that might be helpful – e.g. a random number generator, a soothing playlist.
  • Stressors might include long bus rides, shared accommodation, disrupted routines, long hours of work, and unfamiliar social settings. Think about what you might do to make each of these things easier for yourself (e.g. earplugs in case there is a snorer in your dorm, noise cancelling headphones and a playlist for the bus).
  • If you don’t know – learn how to deal with bathroom trips and menstruation in the field
  • If you are worried about anything contact your academic as early as possible. Most academics are genuinely keen to help, but may not anticipate all issues facing students unless you flag them. For example:
    • Showers/bathrooms for gender-diverse students
    • Physical requirements (e.g. long hikes, rock scrambling)
    • Mental health needs or medication timing
    • Cultural needs (e.g. prayer times, single-gender accommodation)
  • If no printed or digital agenda is provided, jot a 3-point morning plan:

    Where will we be? / What are the tasks? / What are the approximate times?

    Predictable structure supports participation (RGS, 2023; Stokes et al., 2019).
  • If shared eating/working spaces are overwhelmingly noisy or busy, ask your academic if:
    • There is a quieter space you can use, or
    • You can take short breaks outside and then return.
  • Groupwork can be challenging for everyone, but learning to work well in teams is one of the most important skills for any scientist (actually, this applies to nearly all jobs). The days where major scientific advances are made by individuals toiling alone in dark rooms are long gone – the big advances in science now are most often made by teams that include a diverse range of people – people with different fields of expertise, and people with a range of different perspectives and ways of thinking. That is, the most successful groups include people with different expertise and training, genders, ages, cultural backgrounds and ways of thinking. Your neurodiversity can be a superpower – e.g. if it allows you to think of things in a different way to the rest of your team, or spot errors everyone else overlooked.
  • Your equitable learning plan may allow for you to have an alternative to group work. If you really need this, absolutely use it. However, learning to work as part of a team is a really important skill, so if at all possible, try to get involved. Talk to your lecturer, and tell them what would help you. For example, your lecturer might be willing to help you to join a group or to work with someone you know, to have you work in a smaller group, to help you to find a particular role within a group, to help you to set up a group chat so that you can contribute in a written format, or to have your group sit in a quieter spot outside the classroom during groupwork.
  • The most important thing is to talk to your groupmates. You don’t need to give them details about yourself if you don’t want to, but if you tell them enough that they understand what is going on for you, they are likely to be much more supportive and accommodating. Telling people what helps you to work at your best is good for you and for the rest of your group. You can write this in an email if that is easier for you.
  • As a group, set clear expectations and roles. Make sure that all group members feel valued, included and engaged. If you notice that one of your group members is not participating, don’t assume they are lazy or stupid – ask them what is going on for them, and see if the group can do something address the issue (e.g. group members often stop participating if they find their early contributions are not taken seriously, or if they are dealing with anxiety and feel out of their depth).
  • Ask for a short demo of radios, phones, GPS, or EPIRB (if issued).
  • Save the safety contact number in your phone or write it on a card in your pocket.
    Inclusive fieldwork toolkits emphasise making procedures visible and repeatable (UNC Tar Heel Toolkit, 2025).
  • Note one highlight and one challenge.
  • Use this to adjust your plan for the next day (e.g. more snacks, different shoes, earlier quiet time).
  • If needed, you can ask for consistent or mobility-appropriate roles, such as:
    • Basecamp data entry
    • Sample processing / labelling / specimen identification
    • Safety checker and logistics support
  • If a requested adjustment is declined, propose a predictable rotation and link your role clearly to the same learning outcome, for example:

    “If I focus on data entry and checking, I will still be working directly with the sampling design and can demonstrate I understand how the data were collected.”

    This “same outcome, different method” framing matches many reasonable-adjustment policies (UCL; ADCET).
  • If no code of conduct or anti-harassment policy is named, ask who the safety/contact person is. Survey evidence shows such policies are often invisible while harassment is common, especially for trainees; clear contacts matter (Clancy et al., 2014 SAFE survey).
  • Escalation map: field lead → unit coordinator → university safety/equity office. (Inclusive field toolkits recommend visible reporting routes) (UNC Tar Heel Toolkit, 2025; SERC/ADVANCEGeo, 2018).
  • Inclusive fieldwork guidance highlights advance information, anticipatory planning, and predictable structure as core elements of accessible field experiences (RGS, 2023; Holmes & Yorke, 2025). Qualitative research with disabled students shows that:
    • Planning,
    • Role clarity, and
    • Visible support routes

      are central to both access and belonging (Stokes et al., 2019). The SAFE survey documents widespread harassment and low visibility of policies, underscoring the need to name contacts and codes explicitly (Clancy et al., 2014). University guidance on reasonable adjustments supports equivalent-outcome roles rather than one-size-fits-all tasks (UCL; ADCET).

References