Review Criteria with Rating Scale of Possible Responses2

1. Participants and the nature of their involvement:

1 2 3 4 5
a. Is the community of interest clearly no description inexplicit/general general description general detailed detailed description
described or defined? description but explicit description

b. Do members of the defined community 1 2 3 4 5

participating in the research have no concern or little concern or moderate concern or much concern or high concern or
experience with the experience with the experience with the experience with the experience with
concern or experience with the issue? issue issue issue issue the issue
c. Are interested members of the defined 1 2 3 4 5
community provided opportunities to no opportunity little opportunity more than one several many opportunities to
to participate to participate opportunity to opportunities to participate
participate in the research process? participate participate

d. Is attention given to barriers to participation, 1 2 3 4 5

with consideration of those who have been no attention to low degree of moderate degree of several high degree of
offsetting barriers attention to attention to offsetting opportunities to attention to
under-represented in the past? offsetting barriers barriers participate offsetting barriers
e. Has attention been given to establishing 1 2 3 4 5
within the community an understanding of no attention to low attention to moderate attention to high attention to explicit agreement
researchers’ researchers’ researchers’ researchers’ on researchers’
the researchers’ commitment to the issue? commitment commitment commitment commitment commitment

f. Are community participants enabled to 1 2 3 4 5

contribute their physical and/or intellectual no enabling of mostly researcher effort; about equal contribu- mostly resources and full enabling of
contribution from some support for tions from participants efforts of participants; participants’ resources
resources to the research process? participants contribution from and researchers researchers have some (researchers act only as
participants direct input facilitators

2. Origin of the research study:

1 2 3 4 5
a. Did the impetus for the research come issue posed by impetus mainly from impetus shared equally impetus mainly from issue posed by
from the defined community? researchers or other researchers; some input between researchers and community; some input community
external bodies from community community from researchers

1 2 3 4 5
b. Is an effort to research the issue supported support for research less than half of community is roughly more than half of support for research
by members of the defined community? from very few, if any, community supports divided about research community supports from virtually all
community members research on issue on issue research on issue community members

3. Purpose of the research:

a. Can the research facilitate learning among 1 2 3 4 5
community participants about individual and no provision for low provision for moderate provision moderate/high high provision for
learning process learning process for learning process provision for learning process
collective resources for self-determination? learning process
b. Can the research facilitate collaboration 1 2 3 4 5
between community participants and no potential for low potential moderate potential moderate/high high potential for
collaboration for collaboration for collaboration potential for collaboration
resources external to the community? collaboration

c. Is the purpose of the research to empower 1 2 3 4 5

the community to address determinants purpose devoid of low priority given moderate priority moderate/high high priority for
empowerment to empowerment for empowerment priority for empower- empowerment
of health? objective objective objective ment objective objective

d. Does the scope of the research encompass 1 2 3 4 5

some combination of political, social and no consideration of only one or two limited consideration moderate consider- comprehensive
political, social or eco- determinants are of combined deter- ation of combined consideration of com-
economic determinants of health? nomic determinants considered minants of health determinants of health bined determinants

COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH WITH COMMUNITY-BASED CLINICIANS: A RESOURCE MANUAL FOR RESEARCHERS 3

4. Process and context/methodological implications:

a. Does the research process apply the 1 2 3 4 5

knowledge of community participants in no use of community use of community limited use of com- moderate use of com- comprehensive use of
knowledge in any knowledge in one or munity knowledge in munity knowledge in all community knowledge
phases of planning, implementation & phase two phases only all three phases three phases in all three phases
evaluation?
b. For community participants, does the 1 2 3 4 5
process allow for learning about research no opportunity for low opportunity moderate opportunity moderate/high op- high opportunity
learning about for learning about for learning about portunity for learning for learning about
methods? research research research about research research

c. For researchers, does the process allow for 1 2 3 4 5

no opportunity for low opportunity moderate opportunity moderate/high high opportunity
learning about the community health issue? learning about for learning about for learning about opportunity to learn for learning about
community issue community issue community issue about community issue community issue

d. Does the process allow for flexibility or 1 2 3 4 5

change in research methods and focus, methods & focus mostly predetermined equal blend of prede- high flexibility; some complete flexibility;
predetermined; no methods & focus; termined methods & predetermined methods & focus not
as necessary? potential for flexibility limited flexibility focus w/ flexibility methods & focus predetermined

e. Are procedures in place for appraising 1 2 3 4 5

experiences during implementation of no procedures for few procedures for some procedures for many procedures for comprehensive
appraising experi- appraising experi- appraising experi- appraising experi- procedures for ap-
the research? ences ences ences ences praising experiences

f. Are community participants involved in 1 2 3 4 5

analytic issues: interpretation, synthesis and no involvement of involvement in one or limited involvement of moderate involvement comprehensive
participants in any two analytic issues only participants in all three of participants in all involvement in all three
the verification of conclusions? analytic issue analytic issues three analytic issues analytic issues

5. Opportunities to address the issue of interest:

a. Is the potential of the defined community for 1 2 3 4 5
individual and collective learning reflected by research process not limited alignment of moderate alignment of moderate/high comprehensive
aligned w/ potential for research process w/ research process w/ alignment w/ potential alignment w/ potential
the research process? learning potential for learning potential for learning for learning for learning

b. Is the potential of the defined community 1 2 3 4 5

research process not limited alignment of moderate alignment of moderate/high comprehensive
for action reflected by the research process? aligned with research process w/ research process w/ alignment w/ alignment w/
potential for action potential for action potential for action potential for action potential for action

c. Does process reflect commitment by re- 1 2 3 4 5

searchers & community participants to social, no commitment to low commitment to moderate com- moderate/high comprehensive
action beyond data social actions based on mitment to social commitment to social commitment to social
individual or cultural actions consequent to collection & analysis, learning through actions based on actions based on actions based on
learning acquired through research? writing report for research learning through learning through learning through
funding agencies research research research

COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH WITH COMMUNITY-BASED CLINICIANS: A RESOURCE MANUAL FOR RESEARCHERS 4

6. Nature of the research outcomes:

1 2 3 4 5
a. Do community participants benefit from the research benefits researchers/external equal benefit for research benefits explicit agreement on
researchers or external bodies benefit researchers/external community primarily; how research will
research outcomes? bodies only primarily; community bodies and benefit is secondary for benefit community
benefit is secondary community researchers and external
bodies

b. Is there attention to or an explicit agreement 1 2 3 4 5

for acknowledging/resolving in a fair and open no attention to or any low attention to moderate consider- ation high attention to explicit agreement on
agreement re interpretation of of interpretation issues interpretation interpretation issues
way any differences between researchers and interpretation of issues issues issues; no explicit
com- munity participants in interpretation of agreement
results?

c. Is there attention to or an explicit agreement be- 1 2 3 4 5

no attention to or low attention to moderate consider- high attention to explicit agreement on
tween researchers and community participants any agreement re ownership issues ation of ownership ownership issues; no ownership issues
ownership issues issues explicit agreement
with respect to ownership of the research
data?
d. Is there attention to or an explicit agreement be- 1 2 3 4 5
tween researchers and community participants no attention to or any low attention to moderate high atttention to explicit agreement
agreement regarding dissemination issues consideration of dissemination on dissemination
with respect to the dissemination fo the dissemination issues dissemination issues issues; no explicit issues
research results? agreement

2 Guidelines and Categories for Classifying Participatory Research Projects in

Health Promotion from Green LW, George MA, Daniel M, Frankish CJ, Herbert CP,
Bowie WR, O’Neill M. Study of Participatory Research in Health Promotion. Royal
Society of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 1995:43-50.
http://www.lgreen.net/guidelines.html

COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH WITH COMMUNITY-BASED CLINICIANS: A RESOURCE MANUAL FOR RESEARCHERS 5