Harnessing Science for Community-Driven Solutions: The Basics of Starting Research Initiatives for Community-Based Organizations

This is your “why” or the ultimate goal (i.e., what the community wants to achieve with research). Clarifying purpose is a process of naming the problem and what the community would like to do about the problem. Achieving clarity in purpose early on informs the direction, scope, and context of a research project. For example, a community may want to influence a policy decision regarding permitted emissions from a polluting source. This “why” may require that they collect monitoring data. It can influence the type of data collected, how the data is collected and analyzed, the types of monitoring equipment used, and who the community engages among local policymakers. Figuring out the “why” helps to determine critical aspects of your project.

Research is a process of collecting valuable new information. It is also resource-intensive. Before starting your project, it is important to identify what new information your community needs to achieve its stated purpose. Defining the focus of the research project can benefit from the lived experiences of community members regarding the identified problem at hand, interactions with subject matter experts including policymakers who may need to rely on the outputs of the research, and a review of existing data sources to know if the information that will be produced through research already exists and is accessible and usable. For example, let’s say your community is worried about rusty-colored water for household use. You may know, from observation, that the water is rusty-colored, but you do not know why. Figuring out why can be a focal point for your research.

A research partnership is an important means to access multiple types of expertise and resources. Research partners can be volunteer scientists in institutions of higher learning or K-12 schools in your community, paid collaborators on a grant, or members of the community with technical expertise. They contribute to the technical aspects of your research project via activities such as developing and refining research questions, collecting samples and data, and analyzing, interpreting, and presenting scientific data. Minority-serving institutions and other academic institutions in your community are access points to research partners.

Establish ground rules with your research partners from the onset. Lack of structure and documentation can create uncertainty over leadership and execution and result in blurred lines of authority between the community and its partners. Consider creating a community-led working group to establish channels of communication with the community. Davis and Ramirez-Andreotta (2021) found that having community members hold formal leadership roles in community-based research partnerships was more likely to result in policy change.

Discuss and agree on expectations, roles and responsibilities, project leadership, and a decision-making structure with partners. Memorialize agreements using partnership tools such as a memorandum of understanding or a partnership agreement. Ensure the community’s needs and expectations are communicated and understood on all issues, especially on issues such as the ownership, use, and presentation of data.

Before you start your research, understand how acquired data will be used. Planning includes identifying who will analyze the data and where and how it will be stored. Also, think about the intent of the data. For example, do you want your data to influence a regulatory process?

A data plan ensures that your time, effort, and resources are not wasted. Different agencies and institutions can have very strict expectations and requirements for how the data they use should be collected. Lastly, a clear set of protocols around data use can protect your community’s privacy and autonomy, especially if personal information is involved.