COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH PRINCIPLES
The following principles guide the collaborative research conducted by the PRC/MI.
Community-Based Research Partners:
- Respect each other's contributions;
- Encourage change and promote knowledge in ways that benefit communities;
- Share credit and responsibility for results;
- Promote an emphasis on locally relevant health issues;
- Examine the social, economic and cultural influences on health;
- Collaborate on all major phases of the research process;
- Treat research participants ethically;
- Furnish results to the community in a useful manner;
- Utilize community strengths and expertise; and
- Link research to action to enhance community capacity.
Principles for Research in Community-Based Public Health
- Community-based research projects need to reflect an
emphasis on the local relevance of public health problems
and an examination of the social, economic, and cultural
conditions that influence health status and the ways in
which these affect lifestyle, behavior, and community decision-making.
- The purpose of community-based research projects is to
enhance knowledge and promote change in ways that benefit
the community.
- Community-based research projects are designed in ways
which enhance the capacity of the community-based participants
in the process.
- Representatives of community-based organizations, public
health agencies, and educational institutions are involved
as appropriate in all major phases of the research process,
e.g., defining the problem, gathering data, using the results,
sharing and disseminating the results.
- Community-based research is conducted in a way that strengthens
collaboration among community-based organizations, public
health agencies, and educational institutions.
- Community-based research projects produce and disseminate
the findings to community members in clear language respectful
to the community and in ways which will be useful for community
action.
- Community-based research projects are conducted according
to the norms of partnership: mutual respect; recognition
of the knowledge, expertise, and resource capacities of
the participants in the process; and open communication.
- Community-based research projects follow the policies
set forth by the sponsoring organization regarding ownership
of the data and output of the research (policies to be shared
with participants in advance). Any publications resulting
from the research will acknowledge the contribution of the
participants, who will be consulted with prior to submission
of materials and, as appropriate, will be invited to collaborate
as co-authors. In addition, following the rules of confidentiality
of data and the procedures referred to below (Principal
No. 9), participants will jointly agree on who has access
to the research data and where the data will be physically
located.
- Community-based research projects adhere to the human subjects review process standards and procedures as set forth by the sponsoring organization; for example, for the University of Michigan these procedures are found in the Report of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, entitled "Ethical Principals and Principles for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research" (the "Belmont Report").