Community-based research (CBR) is in high demand. More and more, communities and academic researchers are partnering in order to learn about and address real-world issues. We are wrestling with deep-rooted inequities and global challenges that defy simple answers, and CBR can be a powerful way to address these challenges by harnessing our collective knowledge and resources. Unfortunately, not everything that goes under the name “community-based research” lives up to the promise. More support is needed to help this work flourish.

In order to address this, the Community Research Collaborative facilitated a 9-month process that brought together community leaders and academic researchers at the University of Utah to co-develop guidelines for research partnerships. The group wanted to share best practices for CBR with both  both community-based and university-based people who want to do collaborative research.

The result was It Together: Community-Based Research Guidelines for Communities and Higher Education. The report is an updated and revised version of the 2007 UNP report, Guidelines for Community-Based Research. This new version includes an expanded set of principles and integrates lessons learned from the growth of CBR over the last 15 years.

The Guidelines are now being used as the basis for a range of other projects, including our classes and trainings and the West Side Community Review Board.