Community-based research (CBR), sometimes called community-based participatory research or community-engaged research, is designed to investigate community-identified questions and is developed in collaboration with community members, with the goal of producing knowledge relevant to social action/change in that community. “Community” can refer to an organization, a population of individuals, a geographic area, or grassroots groups with common goals. Because community-based research includes the opportunity for community members to contribute to the design and implementation of the study in meaningful ways, community members’ participation may be as consultants or as study team members, in addition to as research participants.
See the Morgridge Center for Public Service’s definition of community-based research for key characteristics that define community-based research. UW-Madison and the Morgridge Center offer many resources, including grants, for those who wish to pursue community-based research. Please review the information on this page for additional guidance and resources in preparing your CBR project. Morgridge Center staff are available to consult on CBR projects. Visit this page for contact information and to schedule a conversation. The university collects and shares information on how many studies involve CBR in support of its Carnegie Foundation “Community Engagement Classification.”
See the IRB’s guidance on Tribal Research when conducting research in collaboration with American Indian or Alaska Native communities.
For details specific to non-exempt and exempt research, please select the tabs below.
Community Members Engaged in Non-Exempt Research
Community members engaged in non-exempt human research must have their study activities overseen by an IRB. In this case, an agreement between UW-Madison and the community member, either an Individual Investigator Agreement or a Collaborating Investigator Agreement, will be required if another IRB is not overseeing the community member’s activities. See Community-Based Research Requirements for more guidance on whether an individual is “engaged” in research and, if so, what type of agreement is required and how to obtain it.
Community members engaged in human research must complete training in conducting human research. See Training Requirements for External Personnel for an overview of the training requirements and see the HRPP Training Options for External Personnel for specific training options, including CITI training, CIRTification (Community Involvement in Research Training), and Research Ethics for All (RE4ALL).
Community members who are engaged in research should not be listed on the Study Team page in ARROW, which is reserved for UW-Madison, UW Health, and VA personnel. External collaborators should instead be listed in the External Collaborations section of the application. Use this section if you are requesting that UW serve as the IRB of record for engaged community members. If you are sharing data outside of UW with these individuals, this should be described on the Sharing Data Outside UW page of the application as well.
Community Members Engaged in Exempt Research
When community members are engaged in exempt research, UW-Madison will not serve as the IRB of record. However, it is still expected that community members will be appropriately trained to conduct their aspects of the research. It is the PI’s responsibility to ensure individuals engaged in the study are appropriately trained.
Do not list community members on the Study Team page in ARROW, however, you should describe their involvement in the research in the section of the application on Research Design and Procedures. If you are sharing data outside of UW with those individuals, this should be described on the Sharing Data Outside UW page of the application as well.
You should also obtain permission from external sites at which study activities, such as recruitment and consenting, will be conducted to be sure that the site is aware and supportive of the research.