Community engaged research introduces special considerations at each stage of the research process. Ongoing communication throughout—not just during planning—is essential for discussing roles, responsibilities, expectations, capacity shifts, and timelines.
In this section:
Guiding questions
The questions below are meant to guide conversations between partners.
Research question(s) and early design
- Where do the research questions fall on the spectrum from shared to community-driven?
- What governance structures will support our partnership (community advisory board, steering committee, other)?
- How will we make decisions together, and who has final say on what?
- Do we need a partnership agreement or MOU to formalize our roles, responsibilities, and expectations?
- How will we structure the budget to ensure adequate support for community partner capacity and fair compensation?
- Who needs to be at the table to ensure adequate representation of the community?
- What relationship-building activities will help establish trust before we begin research design?
Data collection
- What roles will community members play in data collection (co-collectors, instrument designers, participant recruiters)?
- How can we tailor data collection procedures to fit local culture and community context?
- Which research methods best support participatory engagement (PAR, photovoice, community mapping, etc.)?
- What training do all team members—academic and community—need before interacting with participants?
- How will we develop informed consent processes together?
- Who needs IRB approval and CITI training?
Data analysis and meaning-making
- How much time and what resources do we need to budget for collaborative analysis?
- What formats and processes will make data interpretation accessible to all partners (data walks, community forums, visual displays)?
- What complementary skills do community and academic partners each bring to analysis?
- How can involvement in analysis build community capacity?
- How will we make data accessible to broader audiences beyond the research team?
Dissemination of findings
- What dissemination strategies will reach key community audiences (presentations, toolkits, plain-language reports)?
- How will research findings translate to action (interventions, policy recommendations)?
- What roles and responsibilities will we each have?
- Where and how should we disseminate to academic audiences (journals, conferences)?
- How will we determine authorship and author order?
- Who will own the data and have rights to research products?
- How will we maintain our relationship beyond the formal research timeline?
Ethical considerations
Community engaged research raises ethical questions that extend beyond traditional research ethics frameworks.
While institutional review boards (IRBs) typically focus on protecting individual research subjects, community engaged research requires attention to both individual and community-level concerns, as well as the ethical responsibilities research partners have toward one another throughout the collaborative process.
Ethical questions
IRB and human subjects protection
- When community members are research partners (not subjects), what training and oversight is appropriate?
KEY CONSIDERATION
Community partners who will interact with research participants or handle data typically need IRB-recognized training. Options include CIRTification or standard CITI training.
Risk to communities
- Beyond individual risk, how might the research affect the community's reputation, create stigmatization, or result in unwanted media attention?
Intellectual property and data ownership
- Who owns the data, research instruments, and other products of the research
Compensation and recognition
- How do we ethically compensate community partners for their time, expertise, and contributions?
KEY CONSIDERATION
This compensation is a distinct issue from funding for incentives for study participants
Authorship and credit
- How will we determine authorship order and ensure appropriate recognition for all contributors?
Confidentiality
- How will we protect sensitive information, especially when research team members may know study participants, and communities are identifiable?
Cultural sensitivity and humility
- How will we navigate cultural differences on our research team and ensure research approaches respect local knowledge, values, and ways of knowing?
Power and privilege
- How will we recognize and address power imbalances that stem from institutional resources, academic credentials, or social position?
Research burden
- Are we asking too much of a community that may already be over-researched?
- How do we avoid "research fatigue"?
- How can we be sure our research will provide real value to the community members who participate in the study?
Core principles for ethical research and partnership
It is not possible to name or predict every ethical dilemma that might arise in the broad variety of academic research and community contexts. Every member of the research team is responsible for upholding core principles of ethical research and ethical partnership, including:
- Do no harm to individuals or communities
- Respect for persons, communities, and diverse ways of knowing
- Justice and equity in distribution of benefits, burdens, and decision-making power
- Beneficence research should benefit all partners and the broader community
- Trust built and maintained through honest, consistent action
- Transparency in communication, expectations, and processes
- Reciprocity all partners both give and receive value
- Cultural sensitivity and ongoing learning about context
- Sustainability maintaining relationships and ensuring benefits continue beyond the project
When ethical dilemmas arise, address them openly with all partners and seek guidance when needed.
Recommended resources
Ethical Dilemmas in Community-Based Participatory Research: Recommendations for Institutional Review Boards, Journal of Urban Health
- Analyzes 30 public health IRB/REB forms in US/Canada showing that the standard ethical review processes are bio-medical-focused often overlook CBPR-specific considerations